


It Had To Be You

by noblecrescent



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Couple, Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Drama, Friends to Lovers, Heroes, Hurt/Comfort, Metahumans, Mystery, Nerdiness, Romance, Secrets, Slow Burn, season 1 rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-05-04 18:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 82,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14599539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblecrescent/pseuds/noblecrescent
Summary: Her focus has always been to graduate & stabilize her job - no where in there did that include becoming a metahuman. Left with a side Belén fears, she tries to make a life with Star Labs & Barry Allen. Despite the darkness, the secrets & the fear driving she & Barry apart, it never lasts...because in the end: "There can never be another. It had to be you," they say to each other.





	1. Ready Or Not

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my first OC/Flash story! This story will cover the entire first season of the Flash, choosing scenes I deem important in order to tell the story. A note: for this story, I am choosing to omit the WestAllen storyline simply because I prefer not to make a jealous Iris and problematic relationship with the OC. So, in this story Barry just never had a crush on Iris - they are family.
> 
> The OC introduced will look like the actress Lauren Conrad with caramel brown hair leading down to blonde tips (ombre-hair) and dark brown eyes.
> 
> A third note: the accent over the ' é ' means there's an emphasis on that syllable; you'll see what I mean when it comes up.

**2 Months after the Particle Accelerator.**

A young man stood in the middle of an abandoned warehouse with hands extended on either side of him. He didn't seem very bothered by the seven people standing across him with guns aimed in his direction.

"You need to give it up," one of the men across moved forwards, intending on being threatening but his hand holding his gun shook.

The young man just smiled. "I'm done being used by you and your group, Harold." He flung a hand to the side and as he did the other man, Harold, was thrown to the side. Harold's body hit a metal machine and was effectively knocked out cold.

"Start shooting!" someone else in the group ordered.

The young man smirked and started flinging his hands to the sides repeatedly, deflecting the incoming bullets. He then started pushing the nearby tables against the group along with chairs and other movable pieces of furniture. In no time he had brought down the group of criminals without so much a sweat.

"Finally," he breathed in knowing this was the beginning of his freedom again. He turned calmly away and started for the office near the entrance of the warehouse. There he sat down at the desk and opened up a laptop. He started searching through the internet to see what he could find on a specific metahuman he had heard the band of criminals repeatedly talk about. He hadn't been allowed near any electronic devices unsupervised so he wasn't too sure about his suspicions.

"There you are," he stopped at a picture of a woman dressed in purple leather. Half of her face was covered in a purple mask but the young man recognized the woman nonetheless. "Sister," he smiled widely. "I'm coming for you."

~ 0 ~

**2 Months Earlier: The Day of the Particle Accelerator.**

In Central City Picture News, a young woman anxiously stood in front of a printer that was spewing out papers belonging to her mentor. Her long, caramel-colored hair with ombre-blonde tips bounced as she impatiently waited for the printer to be done.

"Are my papers done?" shouted Linda Park from her desk, tapping her fingers along her desk as she pretended to be heavily annoyed. She was actually very amused as she watched her favorite intern try to collect the papers - she always made the funniest faces!

The young woman whirled around to face Linda, looking frantic. "Just one more second, promise!"

Linda mumbled something under her breath then returned to her work on the computer. Though her eyes did flicker every now and then at the ombre-blonde intern just to see how things were going.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, already," the ombre-blonde chewed on her nail until the printer finished up. She cheered and gathered up the papers then ran for Linda's desk. "Done, ha!" she slammed the papers on the desk.

Linda looked up seeming unimpressed with the woman's blunt slam. "You are so lucky it's me and not Larkin or you'd be fired."

The woman widely smiled at the comment and twirled her fingers around her blonde tips, "Which is why I love you the most. You're cool, Linda."

Linda remained blank for a minute or two before she gave an unprofessional snort and laughed, "You are such a kiss ass, Belén."

The woman, Belén, blushed as she laughed too, "I'm an intern, it's kinda what we do."

"The  _new_  ones," Linda corrected her then turned her chair for her computer, "One more year and you'll be a reporter. But look, I've got an assignment for you right now that could win you some points."

Belén tilted her head to the side and squinted her eyes in thought, "Would this assignment by any chance happen to be another paper that you didn't want to write so now you are going to tell me to do it instead? Because of it is, I'd rather go have another battle with the printer."

"Just do me this one okay? It's some paper that's not on sports and I frankly have a date I don't want to cancel on. Here, take a look," Linda motioned for Belén to look at her computer screen where she had a Star Labs page opened up, "We need a paper on the accelerator going off in some hours. There's some grand show tonight and we need something written," she turned her chair to Belén, "Preferably something fantastic if you could."

Belén blinked and quickly looked at Linda, "C'mon, Linda, I don't understand anything about that thing. I want to help but I don't know how."

"Ask your dad," Linda seemed not to care by the blank face she wore, "Or your brother. They're both freaky geniuses. Just do it. I'm letting you do this so that you can prove you have what it takes to become a real journalist. This is your chance, Belén Palayta. Will you take it?"

Belén's eyes flickered to the computer screen then to Linda, clearly indecisive. But in the end, as Linda suspected, Belén ended up nodding in agreement, "Okay, I'll do it."

Linda clapped and stood up from her chair to go retrieve necessary papers for Belén, "It'll be alright, you'll see."

Belén took a deep sigh as she sat down on Linda's chair, getting a closer look at the news on the screen. She knew very well what Star Labs was intending on doing and while she didn't understand a great deal of the purpose, she was curious to see it unfold.

~ 0 ~

Belén pulled the glass door of CC Jitters and stepped inside with an air of nervousness that was etched onto her face so clearly her friend, a barista, noticed with just one look. Iris West finished handing a customer a mug of coffee just as Belén reached the register.

"Alright," the young barista hurried behind the register, "What's the problem, Belén?" it wasn't often her friend had problems and when they did they were truly troubling ones. She'd learned that only a month after meeting Belén in college.

Belén released a sigh of distress as her eyes scanned the menu above them, "I got an important article to do for tonight."

Hearing that news, Iris smiled, "Congratulations," she knew Belén was closer to acquiring a full paying job and if she was being handed important articles it only meant she was one step closer.

"It's on Star Labs' Particle accelerator," Belén finally met Iris' eyes.

"Oh…" Iris' smile faded as she now understood the dilemma Belén was in, "...and your dad…?"

"Doesn't want me to do it," Belén confirmed her suspicions.

"And are you going to listen?"

"Hell no."

Iris nodded with understanding, "So there's more problems?"

"Oh yes," Belén sighed once more, letting her gaze temporarily fall to the counter, "He knows it's my job. I can't listen to him this time."

Iris reached to touch Belén's arm, having that warm, comforting smile on her face, "Hey, you do what you need to do. Besides, maybe if you come by tonight's show we can meet up."

Belén seemed to take that with a good mood, "Really? You're coming too?"

"Mhm, it's an assignment for class. I'm dragging my best friend to help me understand what the hell they're going to say."

Belén chuckled, "I wish I could do the same with Rayan. I don't understand anything of that science stuff."

"Ah, but you're his twin, make him," Iris pointed at her.

"Yeah, I sort of figured out I couldn't make him do everything I wanted," Belén dramatically sighed. "Besides," she got serious again, "even if I asked him, I know he couldn't come. He has some engineering event tonight at his college. He'll be out late."

"Well," Iris considered for a moment, "If worst comes to worst, you can always borrow Barry. He's such a pushover you can definitely get explanations from him."

Belén smiled and rolled her eyes, "That's abuse and I don't think I want to do that to a guy I've never even met. It's a bit rude don't you think?"

Iris feigned a thinking face for a minute or so before shaking her head. "No, not really."

Belén put on on a scolding look on her friend, "You're evil," she pointed, "And I want no part in it."

Iris rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Whatever you say, Belén. But the offer stands. We'll be there at Star Labs tonight as well if you want to meet up."

"See? Now that I can do," Belén nodded happily, something that made Iris laugh. "Now give me an espresso and I can be on my way."

"Sure thing," Iris nodded back and went to prepare her drink. Belén sighed her worried sigh while Iris left. She was still pretty worried over what her father would say when he learned that in order to do the paper she would have to visit Star Labs on the day the Particle Accelerator would go off.

That...would not be an easy discussion.

~ 0 ~

After her shift ended, Iris headed on over to the Central City Police Department, CCPD, to retrieve her best friend, almost brother really, Barry Allen. As she assumed before walking in, he was busy in his forensics work.

"Hey! I am ready to see this atom smasher smashing," she strode into the lab and stopped beside Barry's table, shooting him one of those nice smiles that really just said to hurry the hell up.

Feeling like he was going to get scolded anyways, Barry came out with the blatant truth, "There was a shooting today. Your dad needs me to process some evidence. Which means I don't know if we're gonna be able to make it to Star Labs."

"Seeing this thing turn on is like your dream," Iris tilted her head, mocking him, "Your sad little nerdy dream. Plus, I canceled a date for this," she made an 'o' when she saw Barry's fries sitting at the edge of the table, "Also-" she quickly grabbed some and started chewing on them, "-I may or may not have told a friend you'd help her with her article on that machine thing."

"First of all, hands off my fries," Barry tried taking back his lunch but Iris smirked and snatched the entire box before backtracking away. Seeing there was no winning with the woman, Barry huffed and plopped back on his stool.

"Was there a second of all somewhere in there?" Iris asked after swallowing down.

"You know I'm okay with helping people but I would prefer if you didn't promise me off to someone without telling me first."

Iris cheekily smiled and returned with only half of his fries, "But that's what you're all about, isn't it? Helping people? She needed help - I found a solution. She's like me, normal, and she doesn't quite understand what's so important about this particle accelerator nor the people who run it."

Barry looked almost offended by that last statement, "People who run it? Harrison Wells' work in quantum theory is light-years ahead of anything they're doing at CERN."

Iris gave him a pointed look, "You're doing that thing where you're not speaking English."

"Okay," Barry got up from his stool again and walked over to a white board. He picked up a marker and drew a dot on it, "Just imagine that that dot is everything the human race has ever learned until this moment."

"Does that include twerking?"

Barry then made a motion to the rest of the space on the board, "That is everything we could learn from the particle accelerator. It's a whole new way of looking at physics. It will literally change the way that we think about everything."

Iris stared long and hard at the board but in the end she made a face and stated, "You gotta get yourself a girlfriend."

Behind them came in Iris' father, Joe West, who promptly warned his daughter, "Hey, leave him alone, he's working."

Iris mocked a sigh and turned to Joe, wearing a smile on her face, "Hi, Dad. Your testing is done," she gestured to the tubes Barry had been working on when she came in.

Barry nodded in agreement, "I think the Mardon brothers are hiding on a farm. The fecal matter I found on the street, it was cow manure, which contains traces of oxytetracycline. It's an antibiotic. There are only four farms in the area that still use it in their feed. I bet you find a very sweet Shelby parked at one of them."

And while Iris didn't completely understand all that Barry had said she did get the most important thing out of it, "Dad, seeing as how Barry solved your poop problem, how about letting him go to Star Labs tonight?"

Joe made a motion for them to leave, "Fine, go."

"Yes!" Iris cheered and gestured for Barry to get going.

"Thank you, Joe," Barry had barely any time to say before Iris dragged him out of the lab.

~ 0 ~

In the popular Star Labs everything was bustling with energy and impatience for the great reveal of the Particle Accelerator. Iris and Barry walked in calmly conversing over Barry's abrupt decision to take a trip to the next city over, Starling City, in secrecy and under lies.

"Did you find proof of the impossible in Starling City, or did you just make my dad mad for no reason?" Iris couldn't help chuckle as she thought back to her father and how angry he was after discovering Barry's trip. He shot out all the punishments Barry would get despite Barry not even living with them anymore.

"Quite…" Barry blinked in surprise, not quite over what he had found in the next city over. But of course to his misfortune, he couldn't tell his best friend any of it.

Iris didn't guess anything else was going on in his mind. She only smiled and kept looking forwards, until she found Belén across them. Giddy to see someone who could understand how confusing all the sciency parts were, Iris promptly dragged Barry towards her friend.

Belén seemed to be intently listening to another, slightly older, woman standing in front of her. The woman was talking rather quick much to Belén's dismay but even that didn't make her interrupt.

"Now, do you think you got that for your paper?" the woman asked after she'd finished her long lecture.

Belén gave a nod but after resigning to her lack of knowledge she shook her head, "Nope, sorry, did not get that."

The woman sighed and looked away. "Belén!"

Belén scrunched her nose and made a frantic gesture with her hands. "I'm sorry, Nina! What do you want me to do? I am way out of my element here!"

"No kidding," Nina laughed.

"Where have I heard a conversation like this before?" Iris teasingly asked upon joining the two women. She looked up at Barry with an almost scolding gaze.

"It's not my fault you can't understand such a simple concept," Barry gave a nonchalant shrug, only irritating Iris.

"It's a bit difficult to do so when you're talking at a lightning speed!"

"I do not!"

"You want to bet?"

"Funny, now it feels like a conversation  _I've_  had before," Belén spoke up with a rather amused look on her face, "Isn't that right Nina?" she looked to her friend beside her.

"Right," Nina she nodded, smiling in amusement.

Iris shook her head, sharing Belén's same irritation with their friends. She decided to skip disagreements and go to the happy introduction stage instead, "Barry, this is Belén - she's the one that needed more help on her paper."

Embarrassed Iris had actually gone to Barry with the story, Belén blushed and quickly clarified, "Which I already took care of as you can sorta see," she gestured to Nina, "I also have a smarter friend unwilling to help - wait!" she realized how that sounded badder than she thought it would have and quickly tried mending it, "Not that, not that I knew you would be unwilling to help or anything. I just...I just figured you wouldn't wanna help someone you haven't even met properly. I considered it was a hell of a lot of rudeness…"

Nina liked watching Belén ramble on her in her quirky fits but she decided this moment was not a good one and promptly stepped in to save her. With a hand placed over Belén's mouth, Nina smiled at Barry, "She means it's nice to meet you and would have thanked you for your help."

Belén pushed Nina's hand off her and agreed with a nod, "Yes, that's what I wanted to say. Sorry I couldn't say that in a shorter way."

Barry had found himself rather amused by the ombre-haired woman. He knew what it felt like to ramble on and on yet not be able to make a point. He made a motion it was all fine and added, "I'm glad you found someone to help you. Iris always makes a fuss when her assignments are, and I quote," he raised his fingers and made air quotations with them, "Sciency and complicated," while Belén laughed, Iris smacked him on the arm.

"I don't say that!" Iris nearly shouted.

"It's okay, Iris. I hate them too," Belén said before they would start another banter, "I didn't choose this topic though - my mentor Linda assigned me this paper for next week's newspaper. Says it's my big chance and all."

"You work at CC Pictures?" Barry questioned her, curiously.

"Well, it's kinda a job but not really but kind of," Belén shook her head, "Nope, that didn't make sense did it? I'm an intern," she said before more words found their way out of her mouth.

"And she's almost a full paid journalist," Iris remarked afterwards, "Kind of jealous, Belén."

"Well you know, they hire almost every year. I could ask Linda and see if she would be willing to get you a spot."

Iris' mouth fell open at the offer, "Really!? You think you could do that!?"

"Maybe you can start as an intern or something," Belén smiled at her friend's excitement, "And maybe I can even take a crack at it and torture you as an intern...but you know not really. I don't like being mean."

"Nope," agreed Nina, "She just likes to talk a lot."

Belén mocked a glare but said nothing back. There was nothing wrong with talking a lot. She just sometimes had a tendency to say more than what was needed. And sometimes, that caused some problems with people who didn't know that's how she was.

"C'mon, Belén, if you're going to use me you'll need to be finished before ten," Nina warned then elaborated for Iris and Barry, "I have a night shift at the hospital tonight and I cannot be late. Belén has a tendency to forget things so I can be here far longer than I can."

Disappointed, Belén pouted, "Can we not discredit me in front of someone new?" she looked to Barry, "I do not forget everything."

"Ah, it's okay," Iris spoke before he did, "Barry's late for everything."

"I agree with her," Barry pointed to Belén, "Don't discredit me in front of new people."

"It makes you sound like a flake," Belén blurted what she thought had been a silent thought. She gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes half widened in horror, "I am  _so_  sorry…"

Barry didn't look so offended as he laughed. Nina decided it was once again time to save her friend, "We'll see you guys later," she linked arms with Belén, "It was nice meeting you, Barry. And good to see you again Iris."

"Nice seeing you too," Iris waved.

"Bye," Belén waved back but added, "And you're not a flake," she told Barry who struggled not to laugh again, "At least...I don't think you are...are you?"

"Belén!" Nina scolded her.

Belén deeply sighed and resigned to her first bad impression, "I'm just going to leave now. Sorry," she gave an honest, apologetic smile as she left with Nina.

Iris chuckled and looked at Barry, "So, what you think of her? Fairly amusing, right? Nina's a bit more serious but she has her fun side too."

Barry wanted to come up with words that didn't insult Belén but he supposed his laugh was insulting enough, "She's...she's something."

"She's definitely fit to be a journalist," Iris continued, "Some of us - not me," she quickly clarified before she was thought rude, "used to call her motor-mouth Belén. Not me though!"

Barry couldn't help the third laugh that escaped his mouth, "Why? She's...okay, she talks a lot, but it's - it's cute."

Iris' eyebrows shot upwards in suspicion, "You think my friend is cute?"

"I said the way she  _talks_  is cute," Barry quickly corrected but knowing Iris it wouldn't be easy to convince her otherwise.

"Barry…" Iris broke out one of her teasing smiles, even tilting her head for effect.

"Iris, don't," Barry stepped away in mild annoyance.

"What? I didn't say anything, you did!"

"I complemented!"

"But you said she was cute!"

"The way she talks!"

Iris pursed her lips together, refusing to leave it alone. Barry shook his head knowing things wouldn't be forgotten if he didn't move away.

"Barry, come back!" Iris whined as he started walking away, "I still need your help!" she rushed after him.

~ 0 ~

After Iris caught up and apologized for her teases, she and Barry got together over the refreshments table and gathered up some drinks. They were really just waiting for the head of Star Labs, Dr. Harrison Wells, to commence the event. In the meantime, Barry tried giving tips to Iris on what to write for her assignment.

"This is far too much for my understanding," Iris finally cut him off and drank from her glass, "Why, oh why, did I ever think this was a good idea?"

"I ask myself the same question," Barry remarked back with a clean smirk on his face.

Iris rolled her eyes as she took another sip of her drink. There was no use in arguing over something she completely agreed on. Instead, she focus on the nice event laid out before them. While she didn't understand much of the Accelerator, it apparently was a monumental step towards the future. At least that's what she got from the chattering she could over hear from other guests. However, one particular conversation began to carry over to her ears and immediately she was disgusted.

Not very far from her and Barry, stood Belén and a young man similar in age. He was just a bit taller than her, his shaggy black hair matching his dark eyes that were laid on Belén with such fury it almost scared Iris if she wasn't more angry with him. She hated him, absolutely hated him. Barry, who had been helping himself to another drink, noticed Iris staring with her angry look and wondered who could have earned one of those at an event she didn't know people in. He followed her gaze to Belén and the young man and of course saw what Iris was frowning at - the guy was almost shouting at Belén.

"Who's that?" he asked Iris after a minute of listening on the conversation.

"Eugh," Iris made a face, "Carlton, Belén's boyfriend."

" _T_ _hat's_  her boyfriend?" Barry almost gaped at the sight. The previously 'motor-mouth Belén' was silently listening to whatever shouts Carlton was giving her with no trace of that infectious smile she had on earlier.

Iris was glad he saw the waste and sighed, "Unfortunately, yes."

"But he's…"

"Rude? Verbally abusive? Controlling?" Iris plastered on a wide, fake smile, "Yeah, he is. Belén's been trying to break up with him for months now but she doesn't know how."

"Maybe she can try 'I'm breaking up with you'? I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that could do it."

"How do you do that when the guy has complete support from the girl's dad because he doesn't really know who his daughter has for a boyfriend? Not to mention he doesn't even let Belén speak much."

Barry didn't like seeing someone take advantage of someone else's kindness and especially when the victim looked like she couldn't even hurt a fly. That's the way Belén looked at the moment. It appeared she was trying to put in a word but every time her mouth opened up Carlton had something else to say and shut her right up.

Iris panicked when Barry took a couple steps towards the pair, "What are you doing!?" she latched her hand onto his arm.

"Iris, that's your friend over there," Barry gestured with his other hand, "You're not gonna let her suffer are you?"

"You think I haven't tried intervening?" Iris raised an eyebrow and let got of his arm, "Of course I have! But Belén says to let her handle it."

"Iris, she's being mauled over there," Barry insisted, "That's not like you."

"Ultimately it's her choice," Iris said as much as it pained her. Of course she wanted to rip Belén away from Carlton but even if she did it wouldn't make much use if Belén would return minutes later.

"Maybe she just needs persuasion," Barry refused to let that happen, "Who better than us, right?"

Iris did like the idea of someone else helping her against Belén's 'boyfriend' and who better than her best friend. They worked well together and she was sure she could make some serious progress on Belén.

"Fine," she huffed in the end but quickly pulled out a warning finger at him, "But if you get hurt I won't be held responsible."

That only made Barry more irritated, "He hits too?"

"Well, no, I just meant if you happen to get punched for being nosy then…"

"Right, I'm nosy," Barry gave her a look that told her to reevaluate her statement. Iris rolled her eyes and went towards Belén instead, prompting him to follow.

Belén was in the middle of inputting a response to something Carlton was saying when he shouted again and shut her right up, "You're an idiot! You really think you could hide it from your own father?"

Belén had flinched under his loud tone and desperately wished she could quiet him down. This was exactly why she hadn't mentioned she was coming to Star Labs to him. She knew when he learned he was coming to his job's rival laboratory he would go ballistic. But unfortunately, he had come out of his own accord to check out the competition and happened to have spotted her. Now he was threatening to take her home and tell her father as well, something she had planned to do on her own...but much later.

"I wasn't trying to hide it," she quietly clarified but it was enough to set Carlton up for another shout.

"Then you would have told me or him! You're not a great liar, Belén! Did you think I would be stupid enough to buy one of your pathetic excuses?" he harshly grabbed her by the arm, meaning to pull her towards the door when Belén pushed him off, growing irritated herself.

"I wasn't going to lie to you! I was simply going to wait a bit before I told your or my Dad. And I don't understand what's the big deal, frankly," she crossed her arms, "I'm only doing my job here. Besides, apparently this Accelerator thing is going to do good for us-"

Carlton loudly scoffed, "Don't be stupid, Belén! The only thing that's gonna do is cause trouble. Do yourself a favor and stop being an idiot."

Before Belén could reply, Iris and Barry reached their location and of course intervened on Belén's behalf.

"That's no way to talk to her," it was Barry who spoke first, though Iris was right beside him ready to go next.

Belén was surprised to find the pair of friends with her, especially since she hadn't seen them anymore over the course of the night.

Carlton glared at them, only growing further irritated, "This is between her and me so-"

Iris took her turn at him and cut him off, "You make it our business when we can hear your shouts from across the room. Besides, Belén's our friend and if someone is being rude to her we're definitely going to step up."

Carlton took a step towards them but Barry cut in and blocked any way towards Iris, and in the process Belén. His stern face warned Carlton there was no joke behind his words, "Back off. There's nothing that should ever make you talk to someone the way you are."

When Belén saw Carlton stepping towards Barry she knew she had to end things, "Please, just stop!" she cut in between Carlton and Barry, begging them with words and eyes, "I didn't want any problems!"

"Should've thought of that before you came here, Belén!" Carlton snapped and reached for her arm when Barry put out an arm to block her.

"Leave her alone," he warned Carlton, gently pulling Belén to Iris' spot behind. Before Carlton opened his mouth Barry added, "And leave if you don't want security called on."

Carlton shot a look at Belén who took it with silence, "You know this is far from over," he told her, "Your father is going to want to hear about this."

"Ooh…" was all Belén said as Carlton started leaving, clearly afraid of what would come next.

Iris rubbed Belén's arm comfortingly, "Hey, don't worry."

Belén sighed and ran a hand down her face, "I cannot believe this happened. I really thought I could just get through this and then tell my Dad on my own terms."

Barry turned around wearing a confused, yet surprised, look on his face, "Is your Dad really with this guy?" he knew he had no business asking something like that but with the small moment he met Belén he knew that was not the guy that would fit her best.

Belén sheepishly looked at him, feeling embarrassed he had to witness something like that, "My Dad doesn't really know how aggressive Carlton can get. And," knowing Iris would have something to say about that, Belén looked pointedly at her friend, "I would really appreciate if no one mentioned anything to him - Iris."

Iris rolled her eyes and looked to the side, "I mean, I'm a journalist - I'm supposed to shed the truth!"

"Yeah, on the public not my Dad," Belén gently pushed her then looked back to Barry, "And I'm really sorry you had to witness this, and get rude behavior in the process. Believe me, it won't happen again."

"Can you make that a promise so I at least know my new friend won't be in harm's way?"

"I'm sorry," Belén said quietly before sighing again. The last thing she wanted was to drag people in her own problems, especially people she literally just met.

"What are you apologizing for?" Iris scolded her and earned a look from Barry, "What?" she told him next.

"Clearly, Iris needs to work on her comforting skills," Barry announced and got a small smile out of Belén, something he quickly noticed.

While Iris mockingly glared at him, Belén started fixing herself up from Carlton's aggressive movements, "It's fine, guys, really. It's nothing new to me."

"Belén, why was he so threatening with your Dad?" Barry curiously asked, hoping to change the topic from the bad moment.

"Um, well," Belén twirled one of her blonde tips, "my dad sort of works for the big rival science lab of this…" she gestured to their current spot, "...place."

"Mercury Labs," Barry realized the problem and assumed her father was against his daughter stepping foot into the rivalry lab.

Belén nodded, "Mhm. I mentioned that I this assignment and he went ballistic. He said I couldn't come...so then I kind of snuck out. He's working later than usual so I thought I could get away with it for a while. I just didn't count that Carlton would be here - he works at Mercury Labs too."

"Well then I assume you must really want to write this piece if you went through all this trouble."

At the assumption of Barry's, Iris laughed and looked at Belén, "No she doesn't. She hates the science stuff, like me!"

Belén chewed on her bottom lip while trying to form a small smile, "Well...I mean, I don't understand a lot of stuff but I know this is supposed to help people. Plus, you have to admit the pretty lights are cool."

Iris made a noise and shook her head, "Typical. The one moment I have someone on my side and she sways."

Belén chuckled and sobered up rather fast, "Thank you," she told both kind best friends, "I'm really only used to thanking Iris," she added afterwards, "So extra thank you to you, Barry."

"Well that's Barry for you," Iris gave a light shrug, "Always trying to help people."

Before Barry could remark on his embarrassment thanks to Iris, the head of the event, Dr. Harrison Wells himself, began walking up the platform at the center of the room to address the crowd. Immediately there was some applause from the crowd as all attention turned to him.

"Thank you," Wells addressed the cheering, "My name is Harrison Wells. Tonight, the future begins. The work my team and I will do here will change our understanding of physics. Will bring about advancements in power, advancements in medicine, and trust me that future will be here faster than you think-"

Unfortunately, someone decided to pickpocket Iris' bag at that moment and snatched it right off her shoulder. Iris barely felt the blow before she realized her bag was gone, "Hey!" she cried, "My laptop! It's got my dissertation."

Without a second thought, Barry ran after the thief in hopes to get the bag back. While Iris was in distress, Belén was stunned at the quick action Barry had taken on.

"Wow, he really does like to help," she said before Iris took off in the direction of the thief and Barry, "Iris, stop!" she went after the woman.

But by the time the two caught up with Barry and the thief, the thief had run off only to be arrested by a police officer. Barry, in the meanwhile, had received a good punch across the face.

"Barry, are you okay?" Iris asked for the tenth time after the whole fiasco. The three stood not too far from where the teen thief was being pushed into a police car by an overexcited cop.

"Who is that?" Belén wondered as the blonde man happily chattered with a fellow companion over what she assumed was his arrest.

"And why is he so excited over catching a mugger?" Iris crossed her arms, scrunching her nose in dislike.

"He's a transfer from Keystone," Barry told the two women, "Started a few weeks ago. Eddie Thawne."

"Oh,  _that's_  Detective Pretty Boy," Iris realized from the stories her father had told him not too long ago, "That's what my Dad calls him. Says he actually keeps score when it comes to arrests."

"He is pretty though," Belén blurted and flushed as she looked at the two beside her, "I mean, not that you guys aren't...or…" but she then thought that last 'or' made it seem like she was lying and of course she wanted to clarify, "And by the 'or' I simply meant - or thought - that maybe you guys don't go by 'pretty' and maybe…" she knew she was only rambling on and it wouldn't get better from there. With a big sigh, she made a motion with her hands she was going to stop, "I think it's time for me to go home before I say something more stupid."

"I'd rather have you say more stupid stuff than have to defend you from some guy," Iris gave her a side hug.

"I think Barry's right, you're not very good at comforting people," Belén made a face that made Barry laugh.

Iris wasn't very amused and simply huffed, "Go home, Belén."

"I will," Belén raised a hand in solemn promise, "I have to go finish writing this paper for Linda anyways."

"Linda Park?" Barry recalled the name from the several sports articles the woman wrote. "That's your boss?" the more he learned about Belén the more impressed he was of her.

Belén nodded, "Yup! Good ole, sometimes flaky, Linda. She got me into the internship years ago and she's set to be my mentor when I start on the job for real. Anyways, I really have to go. Thank you both, and it was nice meeting you, Barry."

"Likewise," Barry nodded and gave her a polite shake of hands. Belén smiled back and started off on her way home.

~ 0 ~

Arriving at home and seeing her father wasn't back yet was a big relief for Belén. She would have some time coming up with an excuse as to why she was at Star Labs. Though it wouldn't make much of a difference and her Dad would still be upset, Belén figured it was better if she came up with things to say.

"Rayan?" she called as she dropped her bag over the kitchen table, "Rayan? Are you back yet?" she called for her twin brother numerous times until she concluded he was not home either. She wasn't very surprised since he had told her earlier in the day he would be arriving later that day. Still, she'd had hope he would've came back so he could give her a final edit on her paper when she finished.

After grabbing her laptop from her room upstairs, Belén settled down at the kitchen table to write up her paper, using things she'd gotten from Nina before she left and her own thoughts. She just hoped Linda wouldn't be so picky with the final version.

~ 0 ~

Barry had arrived back to his lab in the precinct to continue with some more assignments he'd left behind. Upon arriving, he turned on his television to follow the particle accelerator's progress. He left the television to go to his wheeled-pinboard where all the information he had gathered anything he could from his mother's murder case. Every day or so he would revisit the information he had, hoping to find something he had missed.

But every day, it was the same - there was nothing new on the closed case.

~ 0 ~

Belén flinched when raging thunder crackled up in the sky. She got up from her chair in the kitchen and walked to the glass backdoor to peer outside. It was pouring rain yet she wasn't too concerned with that. Her eyes had settled on the 'pretty lights' of the Accelerator she could manage see. Curious to see just how beautiful the lights were in reality, Belén slid the glass door open and stepped out. She shivered under the cold water hitting her skin but that didn't stop her from walking further through the backyard. She only stopped to pick up one of her prized Azalea flowers that had fallen from her Azalea bushes. She couldn't risk her young nephew coming by and picking up one of the fallen poisonous flowers.

"Blasted rain," she muttered and glanced to her the Azalea's she planted long ago. She loved her flowers but specifically the Azalea for its hot pink appearance - her favorite color may or may not have been pink.

Belén placed the flower in her blouse's front pocket and came to a stop in front of the big tree at the center of the yard. She knew it was stupid, and childish, but she began climbing it.

"Oh, if Dad could see me right now," she made a face as she wondered how irritated her father would be upon seeing her drenched and up a tree simply for lights in the sky. She would be sure to get down before he returned, she promised herself.

~ 0 ~

Barry was still looking over his mother's case information on the board when he heard alarming news from the television.

_'Wait, we are now being told to evacuate the facility. The storm may have caused a malfunction to the primary cooling system. Officials are now trying to shut down the particle accelerator. But so far have been unable to regain…'_

Barry looked back at the television only to witness the power being cut off. He went to go close the canopy as soon as he heard a loud, violent explosion from across the city - assuming it to be Star Labs. Though he tried to remain calm it went to hell the moment he saw all the chemical liquids around the room begin to rise from their containers...just like it had happened when he was a child only minutes before his mother was murdered. By staring at the liquids in almost awe, he missed the shock-wave from the Accelerator coming towards him. At the same time, lightning struck down on him. He was thrown across the room, hitting a shelf and coming to a drop on the floor.

That was the last thing he would be seeing, or remembering, for the next nine months.

~ 0 ~

Belén had missed the calls her father was leaving for her in both the house phone and her cellphone due to the fact she was sight seeing. She took out her flower from her pocket and tried re-assorting its crushed petals. She hated when the petals would get crumpled. She took great care of them for a reason yet mother nature seemed to be against her. However, at the loud explosion she snapped her gaze back up and was horrified to see the burst of energy. Even more horrified, and now terrified, she felt when she saw the shock-wave coming straight towards her.

"N-n-n-n-n-n-n-no!" she cried as she tried to beat the shock-wave and get down from the tree. It was, of course, impossible and so the only thing she did was scream when the shock-wave pushed her off the tree. Her back violently hit the grass but by that time she was had passed out. Her lonesome azalea had landed on her palm.

There was no one to see it make contact with the grass bits underneath between her opened fingers which then merged together on her skin.

~ 0 ~

Dr. Nina Clarke was overwhelmed with all the incoming patients coming into the ER thanks to the outcome of the Particle Accelerator. She was barely getting a breather when the doors flung open and two of her co-workers urgently pushed in a new patient over a gurney.

"Oh my God…" her eyes went wider when the patient's best friend came in seconds later, "Iris?" she rushed to keep the woman from entering the bloc where the other workers were bringing Barry in.

Iris was in tears and almost incoherent but she still managed to explain a little to Nina, "Lightning! Explosion and Barry, he, he was...lightning!"

Nina blinked and put herself in front of Iris, "Okay, I'll go in and I promise we'll do our best. Stay with your dad and I'll be back, okay?"

Iris tried controlling her radical breathing and sobs as best she could but it was almost impossible. She had been terrified to receive the call from the CCPD telling her of Barry's accident. Her father had been taking care of a case and was offline for a bit so the dilemma fell on her. She thought perhaps things would get better knowing that Belén's good friend was helping out in Barry's case. Of course her tremors skyrocketed all over again when she saw none other than Belén being hurried off into the bloc as well. Her father came running afterwards, also hysterical.

Iris dropped dropped her hands from her face and rushed towards the man, "Mr. Palayta? What's going on!?"

"Iris," Belén's father was somewhat relieved to see a familiar face, "Belén...she, she was, I don't know what she was doing but she was injured from this Accelerator. Now she's off in there," he motioned to the closed doors of the bloc, "in danger of paralysis, head trauma, coma - I don't know!"

Iris' lip quivered as she turned away from Belén's father. In the same night her best friend and her college friend had been harmed and pushed to the same borderline of life and death.

~ 0 ~

**3 Months after the Particle Accelerator explosion.**

In a liquor store, a woman in purple leather, with a mask covering half her face, was in the middle of threatening a cashier. "Hand over the money unless you wanna die in a really nasty way."

The poor cashier shook as he reached for the register. At the same time however, the door of the liquor store was flung open, off its hinges actually.

"What the!?" the woman in purple turned to the threshold with both palms extended.

A young man walked in with a mask over his face. He raised his hands and flicked his fingers to the sides, knocking down the security cameras from the ceiling. The woman in purple shot forwards a purple mass from her palms but the man deflected the masses to the sides with another flick of his hands.

"Come now, sister, is that the way to greet me?"

The woman in purple was in horror to see after the young man threw the mask off his face. "Y-you're...you're supposed to be  _dead_..."

The young man smirked. "And you're not supposed to be a criminal but here we are...Plasticine?"


	2. The Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note, the name Belén is pronounced as Beh-len with an extra emphasis on the second syllable (hence the accent over the 'e'). So it's Beh-lén. (And not like the name Helen).

**2 Weeks after the Particle Accelerator explosion.**

Iris had a chair propped up beside Barry's bed inside the hospital room. As Barry slept through his coma, Iris could only stare at him, hoping in the next minute he would wake up. Her father had stepped out for a minute to talk to the doctor about Barry's condition, leaving Iris to look over him alone for a while.

After there was a soft knock on the door, Iris tore her gaze from Barry to look over. Belén stood there, with a neckbrace, dressed in a hospital gown with a white robe over it. She felt awful, but when she learned of what could've been like with other patients - among those Barry - Belén was super grateful of her recovery. Coming in with an injured neck and back was nothing to joke over. The fact she had been near more dangerous conditions scared her to the bone. Thankfully, the doctors told her she would be fine eventually, but she would have to take it easy for a while. There was just a funny taste on her tongue she couldn't get rid of no matter what she drank or ate. She wondered if it was because of all the medication she was on at the moment.

"Hey," Belén greeted quietly, slowly coming in.

Iris was glad to see her friend out of her room and walking about. That was the only thing helping her at the moment, that not everyone was gone. She rose to her feet to greet Belén but the ombre-haired woman motioned with a hand for Iris to sit back down.

"You look awful," Belén blurted and sighed at herself, "And by that I only mean it looks like you haven't slept in a week."

"Your assumption would be right," Iris leaned back on her chair. Wearily, she rubbed her temple and glanced at Barry, "I keep thinking if I close my eyes for even just a minute I could miss him waking up."

Belén's dark eyes flickered to the motionless Barry beside her, "I'm sorry," she said, both to him and Iris.

By the time she had come around she was in a hospital room with her father at her side. He had explained and reminded her of what had happened with the accelerator. Thanks to him, she learned of many tragedies that had struck Central City in less than a minute and of the future tragedies that would occur if doctors couldn't come through for patients. Among those, she learned of what happened to Barry in his lab. Though she wanted to go see how he and Iris were doing, she couldn't really get up until a day ago.

"Did they give you any news?" Belén asked Iris after a moment of silence.

"No," Iris plopped down on her chair, "It's a coma, meaning there's no precise moment of waking up. There's no knowing  _if_  he's going to wake up."

"Hey," Belén cut her off, "He's going to wake up. Sooner or later, he's going to open his eyes and he's going to be up and about."

A small smile spread across Iris' face, unable to restrain her hope after hearing Belén. She turned her gaze back to Barry and set herself to wait once more for Barry to open his eyes.

~ 0 ~

**2 months after the explosion.**

Belén walked down the upstairs hallway of her house, dressed in all black, and came to a stop at an open room. Her eyes couldn't help scan the entire room without tearing up again. The unmade bed was just another reminder of how sudden everything had been.

She closed her eyes just as the first tears rolled down her face. Someone else came up behind Belén and promptly closed the door to her twin brother's bedroom. Belén sniffled as her father, David Palayta, turned her to him.

"I want him back," she said with a strained voice, pursing her lips together to withold a sob.

David quickly took her into a hug, "So do I, sweetheart, but..." he gave a shake of his head, and it was enough to tear down through Belén's barrier. She burst into sobs.

Belén's slightly older twin brother, Rayan, had gone missing a month ago with no clues as to where he could have gone. The only remains was his car that had been left in the middle of a street after an apparent 'accident' with another car. Everything belonging to Rayan was still in the car, except for Rayan himself. His family, though split up, was doing everything they could to find Rayan Palayta. However, there was another tragedy that struck the family and deferred from all attention on the case.

"C'mon, Maritza is waiting for us at her place," Belén's father informed as he ended the hug and put them into a walk for the stairs.

Belén cleared her face of tears and took a breath in, "I can't. I told Iris I would come with her to Star Labs and see Barry."

"Today?" David raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Belén, you know I already don't like you visiting that place-"

"I do it for Iris-"

"I don't care who you do it for. That place is the reason for all of these tragedies that happened in the city," David raised his voice, "And I do feel for the Wests but that does not change the fact that Star Labs is a horrible place with horrible people."

Belén was not in the mood to argue, she didn't feel like she had the energy to fight. "They're not awful, Dad. I've met them, and I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that they are good people. I will go to Maritza's after I visit Star Labs."

Her father gave a disapproving sigh, though Belén knew it was more for the fact she was going to the rival Labs of his precious job. But she told him she would accompany Iris to Star Labs every day after Joe West had relinquished Barry for Dr. Wells to take the young man to the lab in order to receive better, proper attention. Iris needed support from everyone around her, and besides, Belén felt like she owed Barry that much as well. Without knowing her well, he had stood up for her against her boyfriend. That made him a friend and friends are always with each other no matter what.

"Tell Maritza I'll come by later," Belén gave her dad a kiss on the cheek and hurried off to pick up Iris at her house.

~ 0 ~

"I'm sorry I didn't go to the funeral," Iris was saying as the two women entered the now-shut-down Star Labs.

Belén motioned with a hand it was fine, "Maritza knows your family is in pretty bad shape too, don't worry."

"Still, I can come after this," Iris insisted. Besides the fact that Belén had shown solidarity for Barry and her family, Iris still felt terrible for Belén's older sister, Maritza, losing her husband due to the Particle Accelerator. "It must be hard losing a husband like that. I want to show my support."

Belén half-smiled, "She'll be very thankful for it. I know so."

The two women walked through the solitary corridors of the building until they came up to the cortex room where Barry was being kept in. With him were the only two remaining Star Lab employees, Cisco Ramon and Dr. Caitlin Snow.

"Afternoon," Belén politely greeted when she and Iris came into the room. The two employees looked up from their computers with smiles and replied back to the ombre-haired woman.

"Hey, Belén," Caitlin did a small wave.

"Hey, Bells!" Cisco also waved at the woman, much more excited to see her and Iris than Caitlin. It'd been pretty quiet since the day of the explosion and having two pretty girls visit a patient was not bad for entertainment.

Iris went straight for where Barry was, "How is he?" she looked back at the two employees with hopeful eyes.

Caitlin sighed, by now used to giving bad news to people, "Same as always, I'm afraid."

Belén followed to where Iris went and looked at Barry, "He's going to wake up," she said told Iris, sounding so sure Iris could almost believe it.

"How do you know?" Caitlin asked from her spot.

"Because-" Belén looked back at the brunette woman, "-he's not dead nor missing. He's got all the things he needs to wake up. The world left him here for a reason, it's just he likes sleeping a lot…"

Iris half-smiled after hearing Belén , "He was always oversleeping in the mornings."

"See?" Belén looked at her with a smile, "Right now he's just breaking his record for oversleeping."

"I would appreciate it if he stopped trying to break it, then," Iris sighed, looking up from her best friend. She left her purse on a chair and pulled her phone out, "I need to call my dad, let him know how Barry's doing."

"Go ahead," Belén motioned for her to walk out for privacy, "I can keep watch on him," Iris gave a grateful smile and left the room to call her father.

"Hey, Bells," Cisco called seconds later, "I was talking to Dr. Wells and he said there was no problem if you wanted to interview us for your article."

Belén felt a little joy return to her for a minute. She had asked them a week ago if she could do interviews on the Star Labs employees for their perspective of the explosion's aftermath. She thought it was a good idea to show the city that Star Labs was not that horrendous place full of evil as they now liked to see the place. But barely seeing Dr. Wells was delaying the article. Thankfully, Cisco had graciously offered to ask him himself.

"Thank you, Cisco," Belén turned to them, genuinely grateful. At least one thing had gone good in such awful moments.

At that moment, Belén felt her cellphone vibrate in her jean's pocket and pulling it out she found it was Carlton. With the face she was making, she alerted Cisco and Caitlin of just who it was. While knowing them only for a month and a half, the three had gotten a little closer than with Iris for some reason. It could be, or probably was, that Iris came directly for Barry, always at his side and talking to him. Belén, coming for support, often felt like she was intruding on Iris' talks with Barry and commonly excused herself to find Cisco and Caitlin.

"Belén," Caitlin tilted her head, wearing that motherly disapproving look Belén had come to recognize in only so little time, "when are you going to break it up?"

"I'm looking for the best moment, I promise," Belén said, and she meant it. She couldn't take Carlton's shouts anymore, and much less his rude behavior. She just didn't want their break up to turn into such a fuss.

"Best moment could be  _now_ ," Cisco muttered under his breath, earning a glare from Caitlin.

Belén sighed before taking the call, "Hello? What's-"

"Where the hell are you?" Carlton's sharp demand cut her off instantaneously.

"I'm with Iris at Star Labs-"

"Why are you there and not at Maritza's husband's funeral? Did you really leave your sister hanging for some guy you barely even know?"

Belén rolled her eyes, "I'm coming later with Iris, there's no problem."

"No, there's a  _big_  problem because you're supposed to be here with your  _family_. I'm here and I look like a damn idiot trying to explain to others why you aren't here!"

Belén was seriously in no mood to hear Carlton's shouts. She surprised herself with her next words, "I will be there when I get there but in the meantime leave me the hell alone," she promptly hung up afterwards.

Cisco was the first one to clap and actually made Belén chuckle in embarrassment, "You go girl! Yeah!"

"Cisco," Belén playfully rolled her eyes. She knew she would be paying for that one later but in the meantime she just wanted to help out here.

"Hey," Iris returned looking somewhat better than before.

Belén knew the reason why and couldn't help tease, "So, talking to Eddie Thawne gives you the smileys now?"

Iris became flustered as she walked past Belén, going back to Barry, "Shut up, Belén. I only talked for five minutes with him. My dad's on a case so he answered."

"Oooo," Belén teased like a school girl, "you two are so going to end up together, mark my words."

"I don't know about that," Iris waved her off, wishing they could stop discussing the topic in front of Cisco and Caitlin. She didn't feel quite comfortable just yet with them but apparently Belén did.

"Mark my words," Belén nudged her and got Iris to chuckle.

~ 0 ~

As promised, Iris accompanied Belén to her older sister's husband's funeral after spending time with Barry. Iris was used to the gloomy atmosphere around her by this time so entering Maritza's home full of mourning people was nothing new to her mood. Due to the explosion of the particle accelerator, Maritza's husband had landed in a critical state after being caught up in the shockwave while driving and only lasted a month in the hospital before passing away. Needless to say, Maritza was both despondent and furious with the situation. Still, at the moment, she could only release tears for relief.

"Maritza," Belén quietly went up to her sister with Iris beside her.

The older brunette turned to face the two women, "Belén, where have you been?"

"Totally my fault," Iris raised a hand to signal her guilt, "She accompanied me to see my best friend."

Maritza was well aware of Barry Allen's condition, both from Belén and the news. She gave a small nod of understanding, "Thank you for coming, Iris. I know you're not having it so easy either."

"We're here together, to support each other," Iris said and gave her a hug.

"Auntie Belén," called a four year old boy who made his way over to Belén. The boy, Maritza's only son, stopped in front of Belén and hugged her waist.

Belén half-smiled and hugged him back. "Hey there, Axel," she ruffled his dark brown hair. The boy giggled and rushed off. "How is he?" she asked Maritza.

Maritza smiles through teary eyes, "He doesn't understand sometimes. He asks when his dad is coming home, but…" she started sniffling again until getting to the brink of sobs.

"Mommy," Axel raised his head at the sound of his mother nearly crying. He came rushing back to his mother's side.

"Hey, why don't we go get yourself cleaned up a bit?" Iris quickly suggested before the boy copied Maritza's tears. With Maritza's nod, Iris led her away from Belén and Axel.

"Mommy?" Axel leaned in the direction Iris and Maritza were heading off to.

"C'mon Axel," Belén turned away with him, putting on a smile for him, "Let's go find your grandparents, yeah?"

"Okay," Axel glumly gave a nod of his head. Belén took his hand and led him further down the room to find his grandparents.

~ 0 ~

**4 Months After the explosion.**

"Hey, I'm sorry for being late! Class went a little later that I thought 'maybe it's just best to walk out' but then my professor-" Belén apologized frantically when she entered the cortex room.

Iris looked up from Barry with a small smile, "Belén," she cut off the woman before she ran out of air from her long ramble, "it's okay. You don't have to come everyday."

"I already told you I would, so let's stop reminding me nonsense," Belén waved a hand off and took a deep breath to gather herself up. She pulled her jacket off and placed it over a nearby chair along with her bag. Afterwards she noticed the different face Iris wore, one she only really saw when Iris spoke to a certain someone, "Iris, what are you thinking of?"

Iris almost blushed of being caught, "Nothing…" Belén narrowed her eyes, putting on her thinking face which Iris knew wouldn't go away unless she spilled, "Okay, well, Eddie called. He, um...he asked if I wanted to get some lunch or something…"

"And you said yes right?" Belén nearly didn't let Iris finish. She rushed up to Iris and gently shook the woman, "Iris West, tell me you said yes?" Iris had that apologetic smile that told Belén the opposite, "Iris!"

"I can't leave Barry," Iris gestured to her comatose best friend, "Besides my dad, I'm all he has right now. I don't want to leave him for some guy."

"Some guy that clearly has an interest in you and one that you so clearly like back," Belén left Iris to grab the woman's belongings.

Iris followed the movement with confusion, "What are you doing?"

"It's barely two thirty, so there's still time for you two to have lunch," Belén returned holding out Iris' purse and blazer.

"What?" Iris blinked, unable to react even as Belén proceeded to dig for Iris' phone in her purse.

"Call him, tell him you most certainly can do lunch today," Belén waved Iris' phone to her face. "Oh, maybe even do a little walk around the park? I always thought that was kind of romantic like in the movies-"

"But Barry-" Iris tried cutting in again but Belén wouldn't let Iris get out of this one.

"I can stay here," she volunteered happily, "I have nothing to do today besides write an article and do some biology homework. And, it's all on the computer."

"Belén," Iris sighed, unsure of what to do then. She glanced back at Barry, wishing he could just wake up already and let this entire nightmare be over. Unfortunately, Barry remained as he had for the past four months: sleeping.

"It'll be fine," assured Belén, following Iris' gaze, "He won't know a thing. At the very least he'll know someone annoying was talking for hours on a stupid article."

Iris smiled at that. "Well...he did say the way you talked fast was cute. Maybe he really won't mind," she had said without thinking.

Belén looked at her, mildly surprised, "He said that?"

Realizing her error, Iris shut her eyes, biting her lip, "Don't tell him I said that. It was just a comment."

Belén chuckled, momentarily blushing. "My lips are sealed. But that's even better then. He won't mind listening to me while you go and have your lunch date. So go!"

Iris blushed as she started heading for the doors, "I'll call you later, then!"

Belén waved, "And I'll be waiting for it!"

After a couple minutes, Belén looked for her things and pulled out her laptop from her bag, "Well, Barry, get ready," she warned as she plopped down on Iris' chair, "You're about to hear a lot of talking right now," she opened her laptop and set to work on her newest article assignment courtesy of Linda Park.

~ 0 ~

Belén felt quite accomplished as she got out of her car - well, her brother's car. She had managed to finish her entire article during her stay in Star Labs. Now there was only the part of handing it over to Linda to read over for a final edit. Of course, Belén's good mood drained enough to erase that accomplished feeling when she saw her boyfriend, Carlton, coming out of her house.

"Oh no," Belén closed her eyes as she remembered she had had her  _own_  date today which she'd completely forgotten. To begin with, she really didn't want to go but it hadn't meant she was willing to ditch him.

As soon as Carlton saw Belén coming up to the house he turned fierce to the point of near shouts again, "Do you want to explain where the hell you were today!?"

Belén cleared her throat awkwardly and replied, "I was doing some work-"

"You weren't at CC Pictures so don't even try using that excuse on me," snapped Carlton.

Belén nodded, her fingers gripping the strap of her bag over her arm, "I was at Star Labs looking after Barry while Iris was out."

The explanation infuriated Carlton more, "So you ditched me for a vegetable on a-"

"HEY!" Belén furiously cut him off, not about to let him insult someone who could not defend their self at the moment, "You are not going to insult one of my friends right now, do you hear me? This is  _our_  problem and-"

"Shut up!" Carlton exclaimed. "We're not seriously going to have an argument over a guy that hasn't even opened his eyes in  _months_?"

"You're the one that keeps insulting him!"

"Because lately, all you ever do is spend time at your job or with him and those other leftover Star Labs employees! I can't believe it," Carlton laughed to himself, "my girlfriend prefers the company of a vegetable-"

Belén surprised herself when her hand flew to slap him across the face. She blinked rapidly but her mouth opened up and words came out before she realized. "Don't you talk about Barry that way – nor any of my friends for that matter! You are a horrible person! And you know what? You and I are done. I'm breaking up with you, Carlton."

It took a moment for the declaration to process in Carlton's head and in that moment Belén pushed past him and headed for her house. Belén was just making her way up the front porch steps when he turned to her and called out, "You can't break up with me, Belén! Especially over the vegetable and the leftovers!"

"But I am," Belén smirked. "You always belittle me and I've always let it slide…but no more. You insulted someone in a  _coma_ , Carlton! Who does that?"

"Your father's not going to be happy-"

"But I'll be and that's what matters," Belén cut him right off, a smile spreading across her face, "I expect some type of status on Facebook on your part saying how bad of a girlfriend I was. I look forward to reading it...right before I unfriend you."

"Belén!" Carlton screamed and made Belén flinch, "You're going to pay for this. I swear to God you are going to pay for this."

While the threat did make Belén shift uncomfortably she didn't show it in her tone, "I don't give a damn. Goodbye," she waved with her fingers and continued her way home.

And what do you know, upon entering the house she felt a big weight lift off her shoulders.

~ 0 ~

**6 Months after the explosion.**

"But did you at least start it already?" Cisco asked Belén as the two made way into the cortex room, both holding coffee cups in hands, "I'm telling you the show is worth it! It gets so good!"

Belén chuckled as she listened Cisco ramble on about his current favorite show, The Walking Dead. He had a way of over-talking as well, though she mostly never understood much of it considering it was always sciency and technology.

"Bells, you have to watch it!" Cisco insisted, stopping by the computers while Belén went straight for Barry.

"Oh Cisco, maybe tonight," she gave a light shrug and looked down at Barry, "...do you think he liked the show?" she found herself asking.

"Barry?" Cisco repeated for confirmation.

"Mhm," Belén let a small laugh out, "It's just, it's barely occurred to me that while I've been looking after him for months I don't really know him."

"Well, if he doesn't like the Walking Dead then this friendship ends here and now," Cisco made a face that had Belén laughing again. He grinned and took a sip of his coffee before gathering courage for something else, "And you know what else, Bells?"

"Hm?"

"I don't know much about you either," he admitted, "You think we can grab some coffee some time?"

"Um, Cisco…" Belén motioned motioned to their current coffee cups in their hands.

"Oh," Cisco blinked and coughed out of embarrassment, "What I meant was if you-" he gestured to her, "-wanted to...get something to eat…"

The question left Belén a little startled as it was something she truly had not seen coming. It was true that she had grown a bit closer to Cisco than Caitlin, with Cisco going as far as giving her a nickname - Bells - to solidify their friendship. Belén wasn't sure if she could see anything past that, especially given the fact she was still trying to get over her recent relationship with Carlton. With a light clear of her throat she glanced back at Barry, "I...,um…"

"Not right now," Cisco clarified, knowing she had been left in care of Barry until Iris finished her shift at Jitters, "Maybe later tonight - or tomorrow, or…"

Belén slowly returned her gaze back to him, now wearing a small smile, "Cisco, I haven't really...um...been on a date since...you know…"

"Since you broke up with Carlton, I know," Cisco nodded.

"I don't really know…" Belén slowly continued, now fiddling with her coffee cup. "The idea...it...it scares me a little, honestly..."

"It's weird, I get it," Cisco flushed and laughed, something Belén easily saw, "Probably shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, no," Belén came back to him, smiling lightly, "Let's do it," she said, a bit nervous. "One night...maybe it can help..."

Cisco's eyes widened with delight, "Really?"

Belén nodded, "Yeah. And just so you know, I don't like Chinese food."

"Got it," Cisco promised her and proceeded to make an excited fist pump in the air, something that had Belén laughing for a good five minutes.

~ 0 ~

**8 Months after the explosion.**

The metahuman Plasticine burst open the doors of a jewelry shop by shooting massive purple blobs that stuck on the pieces of doors now on the floor. Her black boots' heels clicked as she strode up to the cashier. With her masked face, she spoke to the man with a modulated voice. "Money, now."

The cashier, startled, tried to sway the woman from her initial order, "U-uh, perhaps you want to...um...think…"

The woman rolled her eyes, "You're not listening - give me the money in the cash register and count yourself lucky I'm not here for the diamond necklaces."

"But...but…" the cashier subtly tried reaching for the alarm button under the display tables.

Knowing what he was up to, the woman threw a hand in the air and released some purple spheres that went straight for a security camera above them. The cashier flinched as the camera was completely covered in the mass. However, it didn't stop there. Its mass spread to the other cameras set up in the room until they were all buried under the mass.

Plasticine remained in her spot and merely cast glances around to the now scared customers and employees, "Don't make me ask again - give me the money," she held a hand towards the cashier, "or the next thing that gets crushed will be you."

And seeing there was no other way to escape death, the cashier quickly dug into the register's cash.

~ 0 ~

**9 months after the explosion.**

"Caitlin, are you sure this will help?" Belén closed her laptop with a deep sigh as, once again, she failed to understand another biology chapter.

Caitlin, who sat at the cortex desk, looked up for a minute to nod, "Yes. The website guarantees you will learn more than your actual professors have been able to."

Belén rose from her chair and turned to pick up her bag from the floor and placed her laptop inside, "Well, I hope so. I have to pass this biology class if I want to graduate. It's my last class and, of course, I barely get it."

"It's not that hard," Caitlin remarked but earned a loud scoff in response.

"Says the perfect bio-engineerist," Belén glanced over her shoulder, "This class was born for Dr. Caitlin Snow. Belén Palayta was born to write…and talk...and dance..."

If Caitlin hadn't lost what she had from the accelerator, she would have smiled at that. Instead, her eyes returned to the computer screens in front of her, "You'll do fine, Bells."

"I sure hope so," Belén grabbed her bag and headed for the doors, "I have to do this stupid DNA model which I haven't even started yet."

"Gonna get a start on it already, then?" Caitlin turned her chair to face Belén as she passed by.

Belén came to a stop beside the computers and shook her head, "I'm gonna go to the CCPD first," her voice visibly grew quieter as she explained, "I have to see how the case is going."

Caitlin gave a nod, "Then we'll see you tomorrow?"

Belén sighed, "Guess so. Thanks for staying with Barry, though. I'll make it up tomorrow."

Caitlin made a motion it was fine. Since Iris was covering a shift for her friend at Jitters, Belén was staying with Barry for the meanwhile but Belén had not accounted for the last minute lessons her professors were leaving her. As Belén was leaving, Cisco was coming in with a small bag of foam.

"Bells, I found this and thought you might want it for that project you told me earlier about," he held the bag for her to see.

Belén peered inside to see the small foam bits and smiled, "Thank you Cisco. And when they promptly burn because I messed up I'll be sure to send you a picture of it."

"That's what I'm counting on," Cisco grinned and headed to take a seat beside Caitlin.

Belén rolled her eyes, "You're rude!"

"What? It'll make a good Instagram picture and you know it."

Belén made a face and instead bid her goodbyes, "I'll see you guys later," and she walked out.

~ 0 ~

It had only been an hour since Belén left Star Labs and since then all Caitlin and Cisco had done was argue. Currently, Caitlin was looking over a journal Belén seemingly forgot to take with her while Cisco played music over the speakers, and loud too.

With a groan, Caitlin looked up from the page, "Do you have to play that out-loud? I'm trying to help Belén here."

Cisco ignored her look of doom, "He likes this song," he nodded to Barry.

Caitlin rolled her eyes and closed the journal in her hands, "How could you possibly know that?"

"Iris showed me his Facebook page. I mean, he can hear everything, right?"

"If that were true I think he would have woken up just to tell Belén to be quiet."

"Hey!" Cisco pointed at her, looking offended on behalf of Belén, "You leave Bells out of this."

Caitlin playfully rolled her eyes and made way for the computers. "Not even because she dumped you you'll stop defending her?" she asked with a teasing smile across her lips.

Cisco shook her head. "Ha, ha, you know she didn't dump me. We both mutually agreed it wasn't going-" but he was interrupted by a loud, deep gasp.

Barry had woken up with a violent jerk upright.

"Oh, my God!" Cisco jumped back while Caitlin ran up to the now conscious patient. Cisco reached for the intercom. on the desk to call for their boss.

"Where am I?" Barry was almost spazzling as he regained full consciousness over his surroundings.

"Doctor Wells, get down to the cortex, like right now," Cisco left the message over the intercom then rushed to help Caitlin.

She was holding a small flashlight over Barry's eyes, "Over 110. Pulse 120. Pupils equally reactive to light. Look at me," since Barry was trying get out of bed she forced him still by grabbing his head, "Look at me."

Cisco gently pushed Caitlin off, knowing she was probably scaring Barry more than he already was, "Hey hey. Oh, oh, relax. Everything's ok, man. You're at Star Labs."

The last of what Cisco said registered in Barry's head, "Star Labs?" he looked over at Cisco, "Who are you?"

"I'm Cisco Ramon. She's Caitlin -" he knew that was wrong, according to Caitlin and started over again, "Doctor Snow."

And promptly, Caitlin showed up holding a small container, "I need you to urinate in this."

Cisco, once again, pushed Caitlin away, "Not this second!"

Barry was beginning to calm and finally able to get off the bed, "What, what is happening? What is going on?'

"You were struck by lightning, dude," Cisco reminded, the hint of fascination unable to be hidden.

Barry had turned to a mirror nearby and gaped at his appearance, "Wh - lightning gave me abs?"

Caitlin made a face, sounding confused herself despite having studied his case over the months, "Your muscles should be atrophied, but instead they're in a chronic and unexplained state of cellular regeneration."

Cisco led Barry to a chair and sat him down, "Come here, have a seat. You were in a coma."

"For how long?" Barry truly tried taking it in and hoped to remember what happened. For the moment, all he remembered was the Particle Accelerator event he attended with Iris.

Dr. Wells had entered the room, or wheeled in, and answered Barry's question, "Nine months. Welcome back, Mister Allen. We have a lot to discuss."

Barry roughly swallowed as he desperately tried recalling all his memories. It was turning out to be a much more difficult task. Even as Wells talked him through it, as well as showing the now-damaged particle accelerator to him, Barry was still hesitant to believe it was all true.

"It's hard to believe I'm here. I've always wanted to meet you face to face," he told Wells who took it with amusement.

"Yeah? Well, you certainly went to great length to do it. Star Labs has not been operational since FEMA categorized us as a class 4 hazardous location. Many more were injured. Myself amongst them."

Barry blinked from hearing such a disaster and even glanced at Caitlin and Cisco to see if it was all true. "Geez. What happened?"

"Nine months ago, the particle accelerator went online, exactly as planned," Wells began, "For forty-five minutes I had achieved my life's dream and then, then there was an anomaly. The electron volts became unmeasurable, the ring under us popped, energy from that detonation was thrown into the sky, and that, in turn, seeded a storm-cloud…"

"That created a lightning bolt that struck me," Barry realized quick.

"That's right," Wells nodded, "I was recovering myself, when I heard about you. The hospital was undergoing unexplainable power outages every time you were going into cardiac arrest, which was, actually a misdiagnosis, because you see, you weren't flat-lining, Barry, your heartbeat was moving too fast for the EKG to register it," Barry's mouth opened in gape, "Now, I'm not the most popular person in town these days but, Detective West and his daughter gave me permission to bring you here, where we were able to stabilize you."

Barry soon remembered his best friend, "Iris?"

"Iris, yes. She came to see you quite often."

"She talks a lot," Caitlin commented, "but no where near as Belén does."

"But they're both hot," Cisco added like it was a grand detail that no one should overlook.

Barry started for the exit, "I need to go."

Caitlin reached out to stop him, "No, you can't!"

"No, no, no, Caitlin's right," Wells quickly said, "Now that you're awake; we need to do more tests. You're still going through changes, there's so much that we don't know."

Barry turned to them, "I'm fine, really. I feel normal. Thank you for saving my life," and he rushed off.

"Really?" Caitlin, exasperated, called out. There was still so much to do and he was just gonna leave?

Suddenly, Barry poked his head into the room. "Can I keep the sweatshirt?" he gestured to his Star Labs sweatshirt Cisco had handed to him earlier.

Wells sighed, also irritated but displayed more patience than Caitlin, "Yeah, keep the sweatshirt."

With a grin, Barry thanked them and hurried off.

~ 0 ~

Iris was serving a customer coffee when Barry came rushing into Jitters. He nearly bumped into some people walking out because of his hastiness but he didn't quite care. Apparently, it had been 9 months since his family had seen him, and he had seen them, so he figured it was okay to bump into people for the moment. Iris gasped when she saw him, nearly dropping coffee all over her customer. She apologized but left the coffee pot on the table to run and greet Barry in a tight bear hug.

"Oh my God! You're awake!" she refused to let go for a minute or two as she decided whether the situation felt real enough told believe, "Why didn't Star Labs call us?"

"I just woke up," Barry chuckled as he finally got Iris to look let go.

Iris quickly took him by the arm as if he were going to fall any moment, "Should you even be on your feet?" she frantically questioned him.

Barry laughed again at her over-concern, "Iris, I'm okay," he assured her, but the fact didn't make Iris feel better.

"I watched you  _die_ , Barry," she said sadly, "You kept dying and your heart kept stopping."

Barry recalled what Wells had told him but preferred to keep it to himself. There was no point in bringing up stuff that wouldn't matter anymore. Instead, he patted his hand over his heart, "Still beating," he smiled.

As if to confirm for herself, Iris leaned to hear and frowned at the results, "It's beating really  _fast_ …"

Suddenly, two waitresses behind them crashed into each other and broke their plates and glasses. Barry blinked as everything went  _slow_  as if he were in one of those action movies.

Iris, who saw everything normally, turned to her co-workers, "Are you okay, Tracy?"

"Yeah, I got it," Tracy waved a hand as she and the other employee started picking up the mess.

Barry was still trying to get over what had just happened to him when Iris returned to their conversation, "My dad is gonna be so happy to see you. Let me get my stuff, ok? I'll be right back."

Barry gave a small nod and waited for Iris to pick up her things. Meanwhile, he replayed the scene that had happened before him. Had he dreamed it all? It could possibly have been a side effect of the coma - illusions. That had to be it, right?

~ 0 ~

Belén was frantic as she stood in front of Captain Singh's desk, almost to tears as she listened to the man close down her brother's case. It was bad enough to know the case was being closed, but even more when Singh informed her he already had this talk with her parents and that he had expected for them, or one of them since her parents were divorced and her mother lived in the next city, to tell her themselves.

"You can't do this!" Belén's voice shook with a threatening sob. "He's not-"

"He  _is_  and I'm very sorry," Singh sighed, knowing his apology meant nothing. It never did when families were given the unfortunate news their loved one(s) were dead.

Belén slammed a hand on the desk, teeth gritted together as she continued arguing. "He's not dead! I know he's not! He is out there and he needs our help!"

"Miss Palayta, you have to understand that due to the Particle Accelerator's activation, there were many disappearances that were left inconclusive. What you say may possibly be true, but...the chances of it are not as high as one would hope."

"And the chances will get lower if you stop helping!" Belén exclaimed, balling her fists.

"This is the not the first case we've closed to lack of evidence, but rest assure if anything comes up that could help...we will re-open it."

Singh's words did nothing to comfort her. With a terrible glare on the man, she stormed out of the room.

~ 0 ~

While there was chaos being unleashed inside Singh's office, not too far away was Barry and Iris, Barry receiving the embarrassment of a lifetime as all the officers greeted him from his long absence.

"Oh, you scared the hell out of us, kid," Iris' father, and Barry's adoptive father, Joe, was telling him.

A policeman beside him added, " Yeah, that was quite the nap you take there, baby-face. And you still look twelve."

Barry rolled his eyes at the comment while Iris chuckled. Joe put a hand over Barry's shoulder, "You look okay. Are you really?"

"Yeah," Barry assured, beginning to grow tired of the same question.

A policewoman came rushing towards the group, "Detective West, we've got a 5-50 in progress at Gold City Bank. Two dead. Storm's really picking up on the south side."

"Grab your rain gear," Joe told the other officers, "I'm sorry, Barry, I gotta run."

"Do you need my help?" Barry quickly asked.

"No, you take it easy," Joe pointed him, warning the young man to stay put, "There'll be plenty for you to do once you've settled in. Let's go partner," he looked over to his new partner, Eddie Thawne.

"Hey, Allen," he greeted Barry, "Glad to see you."

"Thanks, Eddie," Barry politely said back.

Eddie then looked at Iris, "Hey, Iris."

Iris sucked a small breath and put on her best act, "Detective, you should go, my dad doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Eddie nodded and told Barry, "Glad you're back," before following after Joe.

Iris sighed when Barry saw the small shrine memorial for Joe's old partner, "The night of the explosion, Clyde Mardon shot and killed Chyre. Mardon and his brother died trying to escape their plane crash."

"You're a lousy police department!" Belén's shout rang throughout the room as she stormed out of Singh's office. She knew it was childish to shout but her emotions were all over the place right now.

Iris quickly glanced to see her friend rushing to leave the place. "Bells!"

Belén looked up and gasped at the sight of Iris with Barry. Immediately, a good portion of her anger was filed away for another moment. "Oh my God!" she hurried over and, like Iris, greeted Barry with a tight hug, "You woke up!"

"Quite literally an hour ago," Barry chuckled and hugged back, "It's nice to see you again, Belén."

"It's really nice to see  _you_ up and  _walking_!" Belén laughed for a moment, but as much as she tried being happy there was always that part of her with her true feelings making itself visible.

And because Iris was there, she recognized the feelings quite well. "Bells, what's going on?"

"I don't...I don't want to ruin..." Belén's eyes briefly flickered to Barry, "...your moment..."

"Hey," Iris reached to touch Belén's arm, "you can tell us. What's going on?"

Belén couldn't help sniffle as she breathed in, "I'm happy you're back, Barry," she said instead then glanced at Iris, "Good things had to happen for someone at least."

Barry looked at Iris for some explanation for Belén's words but Iris focused entirely on Belén. She stepped closer to Belén, hoping to get her talking. "What is it?" she softly asked.

Belén's tears found their way out at the same time her words did, "They closed Rayan's case down for the moment. Apparently there's no more evidence."

"Oh, oh no!" Iris took Belén into a hug and glanced at Barry who was staring in utter confusion. Belén's brother was dead!? Well, he didn't even know Belén had a brother to begin with...or maybe he did and he just couldn't remember. 9 months in a coma did that to you.

Belén recollected herself for the sake of her appearance and Barry's newfound consciousness. He didn't deserve such a spectacle during his first hours back in the world. She wiped some tears off her face and stepped back from Iris. "I'm sorry, Barry. It's good to have you back again. I'm happy for you and Iris," she sniffled and went on her way, ignoring Iris' calls for her to wait.

"What...just happened?" Barry asked after a minute of silence.

Iris sighed and looked at him sadly, "Belén's brother went missing a while after the Particle Accelerator explosion and the police had been following the case. You know, Belén kept telling me you would wake up one day soon and that everything would be okay. I had to admit I had my doubts but in the end she was right. Now...I feel bad for her."

"Why?"

"Because you're awake and I know everything is going to be okay for us. But, Belén will probably never see her brother again. She's helped a lot in these past months and she doesn't deserve this."

"No one does," Barry corrected with a small sigh, also feeling sorry for the ombre-blonde woman. As he looked back at the room he saw, once again in slow motion, an arrested man try to take a gun from an inspector holding him. Without thinking, Barry rushed to stop him all in the matter of a second - and no one ever noticed.

"Screw you!" the arrested shouted at the inspectors.

Barry could no longer ignore the fact this had happened a second time. He faced Iris who took notice of his change in attitude, "You ok?" she asked.

"I-I'm fine," he said slowly, making a move to leave, "I-I just need some air. I'll call you tonight. All right?" he didn't wait for Iris' answer before he ran off.

He made it to the alleyway near the department and felt his hands and legs shaking. Seeing his hands vibrating, he raised them. "Wh-what's happening to me?" Without his permission, his legs ran off in high speed and he crashed into a police car, shattering its front, "Ah!" he shouted as he found himself going head-straight down the alley. He abruptly stopped and took a moment to think about it. When he realized he could run faster, he went for a test drive and ran down the remainder of the alleyway into the back of a laundry van, "Awesome!" his head poke up from the pile of laundry bags with a wide grin, no longer afraid.

~ 0 ~

After returning to Star Labs and explaining his happenings to Caitlin, Cisco and Dr. Wells, he was taken out for a practice session of his abilities. As Barry was changing into the needed attire, the three employees worked on the equipment.

"You don't really believe he can run  _that_  fast, do you?" Caitlin asked Dr. Wells as they wound up some wires.

"Oh c'mon," Cisco cut in with a loud scoff, "did you not read about the purple girl who stole from the jewelry store last month? If she shoots out purple stuff from her hands why can't Barry run fast?"

Caitlin rolled her eyes in response. At that moment, Barry joined the group wearing a bright red racing suit.

"How does it fit?" Cisco asked.

"It's a little snug," Barry answered in an uncomfortable manner.

"At least you'll be moving so fast, no one will see you," Cisco tried to cheer him up, "See, you thought the world was slowing down, it wasn't. You were moving so fast, it only looked like everyone else was standing still." Barry looked like he hadn't understood any of it...because he hadn't. "Doctor Wells will be monitoring your energy output, and Caitlin your vitals," Cisco added after a moment of awkward silence.

"What do you do?" Barry asked him curiously.

A wide grin broke across Cisco's face, "I make the  _toys_ , man. Check it," he held a small headset to Barry, "This is a two-way headset with a camera I modified. Typically designed to combat battlefield impulse noise, or, in your case, potential sonic booms. Which would be awesome."

Caitlin came by to check over some equipment at the table Cisco had set down his 'toys'. As she lurked through them, she noticed Barry's look on her, "What?"

"Nothing," Barry shrugged, "I just noticed you don't smile too much," and it was true, he thought. Cisco couldn't stop smiling when it came to all these possible power talks and even Dr. Wells managed a smile here and there.

Caitlin took a breath before she answered, "My once promising career in bio-engineering is over. My boss is in a wheelchair for life. The explosion that put you in a coma, also killed my fiancé. So this blank expression kinda feels like the way to go."

Barry raised his eyebrows in surprise at such a cold response. It reminded him a little of Belén only even she managed to smile despite what she was going through.

"Mister Allen," Dr. Wells' voice cut through Barry's thoughts, "while I am extremely eager to determine your full range of abilities, I do caution restraint."

"Yeah," Barry understood and went to the starter line. He took a deep breath and started running like he normally would...only to realize he was running at light speed.

"He just passed 200 knots per hour," Cisco gawked.

"That's not possible," even Caitlin was left gaping at such speed they were seeing.

Everything was going fine until Barry started to think of his mother's murder that involved pretty much the same type of lightning that was now  _his_. Heavily distracted, he ran himself straight into a row of barrels at the end of the track. A couple of hours later would find Barry and the others back at Star Labs where Caitlin had taken his injuries under her work.

"It looks like you had a distal radius fracture," she concluded three hours later but her voice sounded in awe.

"Had?" Barry raised an eyebrow, confused of the choice of words.

"It's  _healed_ ," Caitlin motioned to the X-rays she had taken earlier, "In three hours."

"How is that even possible?"

"We don't know. Yet."

"You really need to learn how to stop," Cisco couldn't help his chuckle as he replayed the image of Barry crashing into the row of barrels. It was like a video game, only this probably hurt Barry.

Wells was more concerned than amused, "What happened out there today? You were moving pretty well, and then something caused you to lose focus."

"I started remembering something," Barry sighed and decided to tell them the truth, "When I was 11, my mother was murdered. It was late, a sound woke me up. I came downstairs, and I saw what looked like a ball of lightning. Inside the lightning, there was a man. He killed my mom. They arrested my dad. He's still sitting in Iron Heights for her murder. Everyone, the cops, the shrink, they they all told me what I saw was impossible. But what if the man who killed my mom was like me?"

While Caitlin and Cisco exchanged looks of even more awe and pity, Dr. Wells took the response himself, "Well I think I can say unequivocally you are one of a kind."

"Are we done for the day?" Barry couldn't help ask, feeling much more tired than he was used to. Then again, in the past he couldn't run at light speed so that could probably be it.

"Yes," Dr. Wells nodded, "but we do expect you to come back for further tests," Barry nodded in agreement and so Wells wheeled out of the room.

"Oh, hey, if you're going back to Iris could you give her this?" Cisco hurried to the computers where Caitlin had put away Belén's forgotten journal, "It's not hers but I figured she could just hand it to Bells later."

"Bells?" Barry remained confused for a minute on the name he had never once heard.

"Belén," Cisco explained with a sheepish smile, "I kinda give nicknames to everyone. Could you just take it to Iris please?"

"Why is this here?" Barry looked at the others while he took the journal into his hands. It was clearly a class journal but the fact it was Belén's and not Iris' left him wondering how it could have ended up here.

"Belén came with Iris over the nine months you were here," Caitlin explained, "Sometimes with Iris, sometimes on her own when Iris had a class or a shift."

"Belén stayed here...with me?" for some reason that made Barry feel a little guilty.

"Talked your ears off, how did you not hear that?" Cisco commented behind him with a chuckle.

"Cisco," Caitlin scolded him for the joke.

"Oh, she knows I kid," Cisco waved her off without much care.

Barry stared at the journal in his hands and, without thinking about it, asked, "Did you guys hear about her brother?"

"Yeah," Caitlin sighed quietly, "just another of the fallen. I mean...that's what we're assuming by. Many people went missing because of the Particle Accelerator."

"They closed the case down today," Barry looked up to the employees, noticing their change in attitude signifying they hadn't learned about that yet.

"Poor Bells," Cisco sucked in a breath, "She really does not deserve this."

Barry agreed with a nod and started off, though stopped when he had a change of destination, "Hey," he glanced back to the room, "Do you guys know where she could be at this time?"

Cisco checked his watch and made a face, "Oh, at the park. That's her brother's favorite place in the city. Definitely can find her there."

"Thanks," Barry waved and hurried off. He had no idea what exactly he wanted to tell Belén but he knew he had to be there to at least thank her for what she had done in the nine months he was out.

~ 0 ~

As Cisco had predicted, Belén was sitting at one of the park benches alone. While there wasn't something precise to look at, her eyes had a gaze at the fountain where there were several candles and other small trinkets placed on the ground. No matter how many times she looked at the spot she always ended up in tears as if it were the first time she was looking at it.

"Belén?" she heard her name being called and looked up to see Barry coming to take a seat beside her, holding her journal in hand, "Hey…"

Belén sniffed and wiped some tears off her face, "Did I forget that at Star Labs?" she pointed to the journal, "I'm always forgetting stuff…"

Barry took a seat beside her and gave the journal back, "Cisco mentioned you left it earlier."

"Well, thank you," Belén placed the journal beside her, "Not that it will make a difference - I'll fail the class anyways."

Barry couldn't quite configure such hoplessness in the woman that had seemed so cheery the last time they met. But then Barry reminded himself it had been nine months ago and in those nine months many things had happened to Belén.

"It's me," Belén suddenly said, her eyes back on the fountain, though she was able to see the surprise on Barry's face, "I know that look you have - 'is that really Belén?' Yes, it's me. My Dad did the thing months ago so I know what it looks like. Even Iris does it sometimes...but she doesn't tell me.

"I-I'm sorry," Barry became flustered and looked away from her after realizing he had only been staring at her. Instead, he saw what she had been staring since he arrived. "What's...what's that?" he nodded to the fountain.

"When my brother went missing I came here and I put some things of his there," Belén answered almost monotonously, "Since then my sister has added some things, his friends too, and my dad." She let a moment of silence pass between them before asking, "Barry, no offense, but what are you doing here?" she tore her gaze from the fountain to look at him, "You should be with your family. Iris has gone mad for these past months and I know she can use her brother with her. Don't waste your time on a stranger."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't consider people who visit me nearly every day while I'm in a 9 month coma to be a stranger," Barry lightly smiled at her, slightly disappointed she didn't smile back.

"Of course I visited you - I like you," Belén shrugged casually, "But that doesn't change the fact you know nothing of me and I know nothing of you."

"Then let's start again, and this time I promise not to fall under a coma on the same night," Barry shifted to face her, holding his hand out to her, "I'm Barry Allen and you?"

Belén playfully rolled her eyes, showing off a hint of a smile that made Barry beam, "Belén Palayta," she said as if there was nothing left to do. She shook his hand afterwards, "And if you fall into a coma tonight I will beat you."

Barry laughed at the threat that didn't really sound like a threat when it came out of her mouth. "I promise not to. So, you want to tell me how I can help with your brother's case?"

Belén's playful aura disappeared at the mention of her brother, "There's nothing the police department can do now, apparently. There's just no evidence to support he lives."

"Good thing I'm here then because I happen to be very smart," Barry pointed to himself.

"Barry, there's nothing you can do," Belén repeated, sounding hopeless herself, "There's nothing no one can do. Everything points to Rayan being dead, but…"

"You don't believe it," Barry finished for her.

"Of course not," Belén agreed, "Not till I see his corpse. I can't let you help because I'm afraid you're just going to tell me what everyone else has - there's nothing left to do," her dark brown eyes glistened with tears as she looked back at him, "And I'd rather not hear that again."

"I'm sorry, Belén," Barry apologized as if it were his fault, "I know what it's like to lose a family member. The pain is like no other."

Belén sniffled and struggled not to cry there and then, "Rayan is my twin. We've gone through life always together. When my parents divorced...and everything around us turned hectic, Rayan was always there to make me feel better. I can't...I just can't accept he's gone. He can't...he can't be."

"Belén," Barry said before she broke down.

She caught herself and jumped out of her spot on the bench, "I need to go," she snatched her journal off the bench.

"No, Belén, stop," Barry got to his feet and turned her around to him, "Let me help, please."

But Belén shook her head, smiling in what one would call amusement, "I know you like to help people, but this is one problem you cannot solve. I will take my burden and I will do what I can with it," she gently pushed his hand off her arm and walked away.

Barry felt a new sense of helplessness as he watched Belén leave. That was certainly not the way he wanted things to end. He glanced at the small set of trinkets left for Rayan at the fountain, letting his mind wander to strategies he hadn't yet considered.

~ 0 ~

With a long sigh, Iris walked along the street with Barry, listening to what he had to say about Belén as well also explaining to Barry about her secret boyfriend, Eddie Thawne. Barry had caught them kissing earlier at Jitters and of course he wanted to hear the story of how that happened.

"You can't tell my dad," Iris warned, "He doesn't know about me and Eddie."

"Doesn't seem like anyone's in on the secret," Barry shrugged.

"Well, Belén knows," Iris said, not sure if that made things better, "She was actually the one who encouraged me to do it. When you were in the hospital, Eddie covered my father's shifts so that we could both be with you. I thanked him with a cup of coffee, and things just kind of happened. He kept asking me out and when Belén forced me to go out it turned out to be good."

"Dating your partner's daughter, it's not against department regulations?" Barry joked with her and got a small laugh.

"Oh, ha, ha, very funny," she playfully rolled her eyes.

Barry glanced back and saw a police car chasing after another. It skidded closer to them and knowing it would hit them, Barry grabbed Iris by the arms and sped them away before going to chase the pursued car himself.

When Barry got into the car he came to the shock of finding Mardon, the precise one that was supposed to be dead, inside. Causing an accident with the car, Mardon jumped out of the car and made an escape on foot while also creating a thick layer of fog to hide him. Just as Barry rose to his feet, he saw the fog cause a car to crash into Mardon's car and flip over not too far away. Breathless from such a catastrophe, Barry looked around hoping to find even a glimpse of Mardon but unfortunately there was nothing left but injured innocents and death.

~ 0 ~

"That poor man," Iris breathed at the sight of accident the cars left behind, "The way that fog came in, I have never seen anything like it."

Joe had listened to the accident over the communication system and rushed to the site knowing Iris and Barry had been near it, "Barry! Iris!"

"I'm all right, Dad," Iris hugged him and smiled.

"What the hell were you thinking having her out there?" Joe promptly got on his irritated act for being near the pursuit, "No, no, no and I told you!" he pointed at Iris. "When you see danger, you run the other way! You're not a cop!"

"Because you wouldn't let me!" Iris had to snap back.

"You're damn right!"

Barry was not in the mood to hear another round of arguments concerning Iris' real passion, "Joe, I need to talk to you."

"It can wait," Joe waved him off but it did not work.

"No, now. I know who did this," Barry announced, "It's Clyde Mardon. I know, everybody thinks he died in a plane crash after the Star Labs explosion, but he is alive. All right, something happened to him that night. I, I think he can control the weather. The recent robberies, they all happened during freak meteorological events. And when I just confronted Mardon, the street was instantly enveloped in fog. Of course you don't believe me. You never believe me."

Joe shook his head, running a hand down his face, "Okay, you wanna do this now? Out here?" he motioned to the public area but that didn't move Barry away, "Mardon is dead. There is no controlling the weather, Barry. Just like there was no lightening storm in your house that night. It was your brain helping a scared little boy accept what he saw."

Barry became angry that topic had been brought up and once again discarded as irrelevant, "My dad did not murder my mom."

"Yes, he did!" Joe erupted into small shouts, "Your dad killed your mother, Barry. I am sorry, son, but I knew it, the jury knew it, now he's paying for what he did."

Iris saw enough and exclaimed, "Dad, enough!"

"No, Iris!" he snapped at her too then continued with Barry, "I have done my best to take care of you since that night, and I never asked for anything in return, not even a thank you, but what I do ask now, is that you for once in your life, see things as they are."

Angrily, Barry stalked off, choosing not to waste time with people who clearly would not believe him. His stop became Star Labs as there was some people that needed to do some explaining.

"I wasn't the only one affected by the particle accelerator explosion, was I?" he demanded of Dr. Wells, Caitlin and Cisco the moment he entered the cortex room.

"We don't know for sure," Dr. Wells answered with an awkward clear of his throat.

"Purple girl," Cisco made sure to remind, though it only confused Barry as he hadn't yet caught himself up with the latest in Central City.

"What happened the night the particle accelerator exploded?" Barry inquired from the true.

"Well, the accelerator went active, we all felt like heroes, and then, it all went wrong," Dr. Wells replied, "A dimensional barrier ruptured, unleashing unknown energies into our world, anti-matter, dark energy, X-elements…"

"Those are all theoretical…"

"Purple girl!" Cisco insisted with a loud groan, as if there wasn't more evidence needed than that incident to prove powers were a side effect from the explosion.

With a sigh, Wells nodded at Cisco's comment, "We've mapped dispersion throughout and around Central City but we have no way of knowing exactly what or who was exposed. We've been searching for other metahumans, like yourself."

" _Metahumans_?" Barry stopped him at the new word.

"That's what we are calling them," Caitlin explained quietly, not too happy with the situation herself, "Up to now there's only really been one other person who exhibited abilities like yourself."

"Well I saw another one today," Barry declared, "and he's a bank robber and he can control the weather."

Cisco giggled like a child, "This keeps getting cooler and cooler. Super speed," he pointed at Barry, "Weather controller and purple gumbo controller?"

"Purple Gumbo?" Caitlin repeated, making a disapproving face at him.

"Yeah, I know, not the best description but there's not much to go by," Cisco gave a big shrug.

"Hello!?" Barry waved his hands to get their attention, "A man died. Mardon must have gotten his powers the same way I did. From the storm cloud. He's still out there. We have to stop him before he hurts anyone else."

"Barry," Wells shook his head, "That's a job for the police."

"Yeah, well, I work for the police."

"As a forensic assistant."

"You're responsible for this. For him!" Barry accused Wells, even more angry than when he walked in.

"What's important is you!" Wells argued back, "Not me. I lost everything. I lost my company. I lost my reputation. I lost my freedom. And then you broke your arm, and it healed in three hours. Inside your body, could be a map to a whole new world genetic therapy, vaccines, medicines, treasures, Barry. Deep within your cells, and we cannot risk losing everything because you want to go out and play hero. You're not a hero. You're just a young man who was struck by lightning."

Once more shot down, Barry stalked off. Was no one seriously going to try and help him with this case?

He supposed now...he could understand...Belén.

~ 0 ~

Belén furiously stood with her arms crossed and struggled not to cut off her parents in the middle of their 'what we think is best for you' lecture. She was still trying to get over the fact her mother was in the city again. It made a lot more sense when she realized Veronica Green had only come back to lecture her.

"And so, we think it would do you good if you accompanied me back to Starling City," her mother concluded.

The face Belén wore told Veronica and her ex-husband she was outright refusing the suggestion.

"I cannot believe this is the reason you came back from Starling," Belén laced her words with scorn and resentment, "Cos that's the only way you'd come back, huh? When we're so broken you can't possibly do a worse job than before."

"Annah-Belén Palayta you do not speak to me like that," her mother's voice rose in tone yet it didn't make Belén flinch one bit.

"I speak to you however I wish," Belén bitterly laughed as she glanced at her father, "Did you really think this would be a good idea, Dad? Have her take me away?"

"Belén," David sighed, "I'm afraid you're going to enter some sort of depression state. I think a little time away from Central City could be a good thing for you. There is nothing but sad stories here - your brother's missing case, crimes increasing, people getting hurt, even Iris' poor brother in that coma."

"He woke up, dad," Belén slowly said, the energy to fight slowly leaving her system. She was beyond tired having to explain to her own father why she couldn't let go of Rayan disappearance, "Not everything is so 'sad'."

"Well, I'm happy to hear that," David honestly said, "But I still think taking a small trip to Starling could help you."

"Come darling," Veronica stepped towards Belén, "You can stay with me. And, you can even see the Lances' remember? You used to be so close to them. Their father still works at the precinct with me."

"Of course I do," Belén muttered, "Just like I remember all my other friends from that city but that does not mean I want to go back. Besides, you do remember I still have a class to finish before I graduate?"

"We went to the university and talked to the dean - they understand our situation and were willing to give you permission for a month absence," her father explained, but that only infuriated Belén more.

"You went to my school behind my back!? What is wrong with you!?" Belén growled and stalked away from her parents, "I am twenty-five years old! You cannot treat me like this!"

"We're not treating you like a child if that's your argument," Veronica frowned, "We simply agreed this would do good for you and your health."

"What?" Belén laughed and turned to them, "So you think bringing me to the city that gets mauled every couple months will do good for my health?"

"We have help," Veronica assured, sounding almost offended.

"I'm not going anywhere," Belén declared firmly, "I will stay here and I will continue to look for Rayan on my own if I have to. Since, you know, you apparently ceased to care for him."

"We love Rayan," David's voice also rose, "But after months of nothing there is not enough hope to keep us going, sweetie. Rayan is dead, and we have to move on."

"He is not dead, Daddy," Belén's voice turned frail as she returned to him, her eyes filled with fresh tears. She grabbed his hands and pleaded him to listen to her. "You gotta believe me, okay? I can feel it. He's my twin and I know he's still alive somewhere out there. We just need to keep looking."

"Belén, I am a cop and I know what these cases do to people," Veronica sighed, "And I know when to stop believing in what is not. Rayan is dead, sweetheart."

Belén's anger returned in a flash, "NO!" she screamed, "He is not and I will not stop looking for him! I'm not going anywhere so you can head back to where you came from!" with that, Belén ran out of the house before her parents could continue arguing with her. She didn't understand why in such a large city she felt so alone and helpless.

~ 0 ~

After several hours, and a sudden trip to Starling City for advise, Barry returned to Star Labs where now Caitlin and Cisco were. He was determined to implement some change in the city whether they wanted or not.

"I've been going over unsolved cases from the past 9 months, and there's been a sharp increase in unexplained deaths, and missing people," he announced to them, "Your metahumans have been busy."

In one of those cases was Belén's twin brother's case and after carefully reading it over and knowing what other officers didn't, Barry was sure Rayan Palayta's disappearance had been at the hands of metahumans. That was the precise reason the police department wasn't able to help her anymore - they didn't believe.

"I'm not blaming you, I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen. I know you all lost something. But I need your help to catch Mardon, and anyone else out there like him. But I can't do it without you."

It didn't look like Cisco and Caitlin were very surprised to hear those words. It almost seemed like they had been thinking similar thoughts before. Cisco stood up and started for a mannequin display across the room, "If we're gonna do this I have something that might help. Something I've been playing with," he turned the mannequin over to reveal a bright, red costume sitting on it, "It's designed to replace the turnouts firefighters traditionally wear. I thought if Star Labs could do something nice for the community, maybe people wouldn't be so angry at Doctor Wells anymore."

"How is it gonna help me?" Barry eyed the red-leather, one suited thing with hesitance.

"It's made of a reinforced tri-polymer. It's heat and abrasive resistant, so it should withstand your moving at high-velocity speed," Cisco explained, "And the aerodynamic design should help you maintain control. Plus, it has built-in sensors, so we can track your vitals and stay in contact with you from here."

"Thanks," Barry loved the streak of luck. "Now, how do we find Mardon?"

Caitlin cleared her throat to signal her cutting in, "I re-tasked Star Labs satellites to track meteorological abnormalities over Central City. We just got a ping," she pulled up a version of the map on one of the computer screens hung on the walls. "Atmospheric pressure dropped 20 millibars in a matter of seconds. I've tracked it to a farm just west of the city."

"That's where the brothers hid last time," Barry realized and rushed for the suit, "We gotta go!"

~ 0 ~

Out in the farm was, as Barry predicted, Mardon Clyde hiding. With him was Joe and Eddie who followed leads using the last time the case had been opened.

"Mardon? On your feet. Hands on your head," Joe warned as he pulled out his gun, Eddie doing the same beside him.

Mardon did no such thing and only stood across them. "You got me. The night of the storm, after Star Labs blew, after our plane went down, and I woke up on the ground, alive. When I saw what I could do, I understood. I am  _God_."

"Shut the hell up! Turn around!"

Mardon ignored the order and caused an explosion nearby with his powers, "You think your guns can stop God?!"

"Why in the hell would God need to rob banks?" Joe snapped.

"You're right. I've been thinking too small," Mardon turned around and easily began to create a tornado that caught two of the policemen on site. Joe was caught by a chunk of debris picked up from the ground.

Barry arrived in time to help the police, now in disguise, and was able to hear Cisco and Caitlin from the earpod built into the suit.

"Barry, Barry, this thing is getting closer," Cisco warned as the tornado did indeed pick up speed, "Wind speeds are 200 miles per hour, and increasing. Barry, can you hear me?"

"Yeah. Loud and clear."

"If it keeps up, this could become an F5 tornado!"

Barry looked at the tornado and its possible direction, "And it's headed towards the city. How do I stop it? Guys? What if I unravel it?"

"How the hell are you gonna do that?" came Caitlin's icy scolding tone through the earpod.

"I'll run around it in the opposite direction, cut off its legs!"

"You'd have to clock 700 miles per hour to do that," warned Cisco, sounding doubtful.

"Your body may not be able to handle those speeds. You'll die," added Caitlin.

"I have to try," Barry insisted and didn't wait for another round of warnings when he started to run.

"The suit's holding up!" Cisco exclaimed, now sounding excited his creation was working.

Caitlin, on the other hand, was focusing more on Barry's vitals, "But  _he's_  not!"

Barry found himself promptly thrown out the tornado and fell to the ground, "He's too strong."

Suddenly, Dr. Well's voice came over the headset - and with encouraging words, "You can do this, Barry. You're right, I am responsible for all this. So many people have been hurt, because of me, and when I looked at you, all I saw was a potential victim of my hubris, and yes, I created this madness, but you, Barry, you can stop it. You can do this now, run! Barry, run!"

Barry took in a big breath as he once again attempted to fight off Mardon. However, this time Mardon pulled out a gun from his pocket and aimed it at Barry.

"Hey! I didn't think there was anyone else like me," he commented in genuine surprise.

Barry took that as an insult and promptly replied with, "I'm not like you. You're a murderer."

Before Mardon could do more Joe was able to get out of the debris and shoot Mardon right on the chest. He then looked at the new man in red, easily identifying him as Barry.

"Barry?" Caitlin asked in concern, having heard nothing but a gunshot.

"It's over, I'm okay," Barry soon reassured then faced Joe, unsure of what to do nor say next.

"What you can do...it was the lightning bolt?" Joe was the first to break the silence, still glancing from where the tornado had originated then back to Barry.

"More or less," Barry gave a light shrug.

I'm sorry, Barry. I'm sorry I didn't believe you," Joe started to ramble in his apology, "And I called you crazy for chasing the impossible. But you really did see something that night your mom died," and then it hit him, "And your dad is innocent. I need you to promise me something. I don't want you telling Iris about anything you can do. Any of it. I want her safe. Promise me."

While the idea didn't sit well with Barry he agreed to it and relieved Joe. He gave a nod, "Okay."

~ 0 ~

"Great job!" Cisco gave a high-five to Barry when he returned to the cortex.

"It did feel good," Barry couldn't stop smiling like an idiot as he came to join them. Even Caitlin looked more pleased than she had since he'd met her.

"Good job, Mr. Allen," Dr. Wells also said, "But you realize there will be more training sessions. You cannot go around without a proper plan."

"Understood," Barry nodded.

"You should let me upgrade that thing more," Cisco pointed to the red suit, "I have a couple more ideas."

"Actually," Barry stepped away, his smile turning into a cheeky one that told the others he had another plan in mind, "do you think it can go out for one more trip? A real small one, promise."

"What did you have in mind?" Wells inquired.

"Caitlin, do you think you can make a call to someone?"

Caitlin gave a nod, "Yeah. Who'd you have in mind?" she asked, wondering what-oh-what did the new metahuman have in mind.

~ 0 ~

Belén was sniffling in the middle of her conversation over the phone with Iris. She was walking back to her house under a dark night, and she sincerely hoped her father had gone to sleep and that her mother had already left. She was in no mood to see them nor talk to them. She had finished a conversation with Caitlin over the phone, explaining what occurred and while it did feel good to vent to someone, it was still not going to get Rayan back. Now, she was having another venting session with Iris.

"You're not actually going to leave, right?" Iris was concerned after hearing all that had happened in the Palayta residence. She knew that the relationship between Belén and her mother wasn't quite good and she sincerely thought if Belén went back with her mother...it would only cause bigger problems.

"No, of course not," Belén angrily replied, "As  _if_  I would listen to them about this. I'm not going anywhere. No one wants to help me but that's not gonna stop me."

And suddenly, a fast wind picked up and the next thing Belén knew she stumbled back holding a piece of paper in her hand. Her dark eyes scanned the immediate area for anything suspicious but there was no one in the streets except for her. She looked down at the paper and turned it over, seeing the words ' _I will help you_ ' written across it.

"Iris, I gotta go," Belén said absentmindedly and hung up. She made face, scrunching her nose, as she reread the words, "What the hell...?"

Another fast wind happened and a bright manila folder laid right in front of her feet. Belén slowly bent down to pick it up and upon opening it she was surprised to find it was her brother's case. The police department had locked away all of his cases' contents, declaring it officially closed. There was a blue sticky note stuck to the front of the folder.

_I'll help you find your brother._

Belén didn't know why she was beginning to smile. She was just reading random notes.

"Who's out there?" she found herself asking, but received no answer. Instead, she felt arms around her and suddenly she was standing just outside of her house's front door. Almost amused, Belén whirled around to the front yard, hoping to catch a glimpse of what ever was doing all this. She rushed to the small steps leading up to the porch and looked out, "Come out," she pleaded softly and was mildly disappointed nothing, or no one, ever did. She looked down at her folder and smiled again before turning and heading inside her house.

Barry watched from a hidden spot as the woman smiled and walked inside the house. Over the earpod came Caitlin's voice, the tinge of disapproval not bothering him. "Barry, are you sure this was a good idea?"

"She smiled, Caitlin. She just wants someone to help her and it just so happens that I can actually help her now," Barry grinned and turned to return to Star Labs and call it an eventful night.


	3. A Hero To Hope For

At CC Picture News everyone bustled about with their daily tasks, including Linda Park which was why she was more than surprised to find her intern and friend comfortably sitting at her desk intently staring at something on her laptop. Normally, she would've teased Belén for whatever was captivating her so much but during the last nine months her life hadn't been as easy so Linda restrained herself.

She cleared her throat as she drew nearer to her desk and immediately Belén protectively placed her hands over the top of her laptop, slowly lowering the top, "Linda...hey…" Belén lightly smiled, "...did you need something?"

Linda narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the brunette, "Belén, is there something you want to share with me?"

"Um…" Belén's eyes flickered around the room, clearly in thought, "...not, not really. Why?"

"I don't know," Linda crossed her arms and went up the small steps leading to her desk and watched how Belén discreetly closed her laptop completely, "It's just during the last couple of days you've been a little more attentive to your computer than to anything else. And that's a problem because you're usually, you know," she made a yapping motion with her hand.

Belén playfully rolled her eyes and got up from Linda's chair, "I've just been looking into my brother's case, you know. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Except that case was closed, Belén," Linda gently reminded, understanding it was difficult for the woman to resign to her brother's death.

"But as a journalist it's my job to look into things," Belén promptly picked up her computer and bag which was underneath the desk.

Linda sighed, "Belén, you can take days off, you know. No one would reproach you for it."

Belén shoved her laptop a little quicker then, unable to contain her irritated sigh, "Linda, I'm fine. This place," she motioned with a finger, "is but one of the few places I can use to avoid home right now. The last thing I want to do is take a break," she slung her bag over her shoulder and straightened up, "I'm taking my lunch now," and she frankly didn't want to wait for her friend's further comments so she hurried out into the street.

Once outside and able to breath freely, she bit her lip and determinedly said, "I am not letting this go."

She dug into her bag until she pulled out her cellphone. As she walked down the street her fingers quickly swiped away until she was staring at the most recent sighting of a red streak. The wide smile that broke across her face was evidence enough she was confident that her new mysterious helper had to be that red streak. She hadn't seen them face to face, only received a couple more secret messages that assured her they were looking into the case of her brother. At least someone in the city believed there was more to discover in the case.

And that someone appeared to be striving for the hero way.

~ 0 ~

Barry wondered if Caitlin ever got tired of shouting at people. The woman didn't smile a lot but she sure had the voice adequate for a good, loud scolding. He supposed it was his fault for going out and saving people behind hers and Dr. Wells' back.

"Have you both you lost your minds!?" Caitlin was in the middle of her shouts, one loud enough to bring Barry out of his thoughts. Caitlin had her hands on her hips, her eyes flickering from Barry to Cisco wondering which one was more stupid for thinking this hero-saving was a good idea, "Who do you think you are?"

"Well," Cisco began, his tone indicating he didn't view the problem as severe as she did, "I'm the eyes and ears, and he's the feet," he chucked a thumb to Barry.

"This isn't funny," Caitlin snapped, "You could have gotten yourself killed. You can't be running around the city like some supersonic fireman."

"Why not?" Barry asked, "This is what we talked about: Me using my speed to do good."

Caitlin wagged a finger at him, "We talked about you helping us contain other people who might have been affected by the particle accelerator explosion. Metahumans. And aside from Clyde Mardon, we haven't found any."

Barry sighed, "People in this city still need help. And I can help them.  _We_  can help them."

As much as Caitlin agreed they could help them, she wasn't very willing to let her new friend, along with her other friend, get themselves hurt. She glanced to Dr. Wells for some help, "Will you please say something?"

Dr. Wells cleared his throat and addressed the two men, "I think what Caitlin is saying, in her own spectacularly angry way, is that we are just beginning to understand what your body is capable of. Not to sound like a broken record, Mr. Allen... I do caution restraint."

"Dr. Wells... I doubt restraint is how you got to be the man you are today," Barry motioned, but Wells had a good response back.

"In a wheelchair and a pariah. Lack of restraint is what made me these things. Know your limits."

Caitlin was shaking her head in frustration, "Don't expect me to patch you up every time you break something," she warned Barry before walking towards the computers. She needed a small break from them before she exploded again.

Just as Cisco pulled Barry in the opposite direction in the room, they heard a distinct voice calling out names, clearly growing closer and closer.

"Cisco? Caitlin?" it was Belén who was coming down the corridor, making everyone panic but no one more than Barry.

"Go, go!" Caitlin motioned to Barry to head into one of the small side rooms and without a second thought Barry sped into the closest room and remained out of sight from the glass window.

"Cisco?" Belén popped her head into the room, her curious eyes scanning the room until she found the three remaining STAR Labs employees.

"Bells!" Cisco threw his arms in the air, nervously greeting her.

Belén sheepishly came inside, her hand rubbing her bag's strap up and down, "Afternoon, Dr. Wells," she greeted first.

"Afternoon, Miss Palayta," Wells gave her a nod and discreetly glanced to the side room in case Barry had stupidly decided to peek through. Thankfully, it appeared the metahuman was remaining hidden.

"Why do you guys look so...guilty?" Belén had quickly picked up on Caitlin's and Cisco's odd faces, ones she hadn't really seen in the last 9 months.

"Guilty? What?" Cisco waved her off and walked up to her, "What...what did you need?"

"Um…" Belén half-smiled, "...I'm avoiding home at all costs and since I haven't seen you nor Caitlin I was wondering if you guys wanted to do lunch right now. Also," she looked around the room, "I don't know if I imagined it but I thought, for a second, I heard Barry's voice."

"You probably just heard us mention him," Caitlin supplied the excuse fairly fast, even surprising herself with it.

Belén didn't put too much thought in it and merely shrugged, "Well, do you guys want to go, then?"

Cisco exchanged a look with Caitlin, both knowing they would have to come up with better excuses so Belén wouldn't come around Star Labs as much. In the meantime, they didn't want to hurt her feelings and thus cause her more pain than the amount she already felt at the moment.

"I can," Cisco raised a hand, immediately making the ombre-haired woman beam. He figured Caitlin could stick around with Barry and discuss the future plans of the hero-saving stuff while he took Belén out for a calm lunch.

"Great," Belén put a hand on his arm and glanced towards Caitlin, "Cait? What about you?"

"Oh, I...um...I can't," Caitlin turned her gaze to the computers in front of her, "I have to look over Barry's condition reports. It's gonna take me all day, sorry."

"It's okay," Belén assured, "As long as Barry turns out to be fine. Dr. Wells, I don't suppose you'd like to join us as well?"

"No, no," Wells shook his head, "I have to stay and oversee Caitlin's work. Thank you for the offer, though."

Belén gave Cisco a 'let's go' look and was turning to leave when she caught site of the display case meant to hold Barry's new supersuit. With a light hum, she remained facing in the direction of the display case, "What's that?" her finger pointed and made the three see the display.

"Um…" Cisco made a face as he decided on what to tell her.

Belén slowly walked towards the display case, missing the nervous looks of the employees behind her, "It looks like one of those mannequins you see at the stores. What are you guys up to?"

"Nothing," Caitlin tried their luck with a simple, brief answer.

"You know," Belén started to think as she now stood in front of the empy display case, "it's been a couple of days and I haven't really seen either of you guys."

"With Barry waking up there has been a lot more to do, Miss Palayta," Wells explained with a clear of his throat, making Belén glance back.

"I'm sure there is," she agreed, still thinking of her friends' strange behavior. Although the more she pondered the more she thought of herself and her erratic behavior.

"Bells, you want to go, then?" Cisco called after everything had fallen silent.

"Yeah, yeah," Belén returned to the computer area, "Lunch…"

"Anywhere in mind?" Cisco asked as they started making way out of the room. As they left, the others could hear Belén's deep sigh followed by a despondent 'I don't really care'.

A couple seconds later, Barry emerged from the side room. He glanced at the display case and realized that would have to be moved if Belén, or even Iris, came by.

"It appears we'll have to up our security around here," Wells spoke first after Cisco and Belén were completely gone.

"No," Barry immediately saw that idea ruining them, "If we do that, Belén will ask questions."

"But if we don't do something next time she  _will_  walk in at the wrong moment," Caitlin warned her concern, "We have to come up with something."

"Caitlin's right," Wells agreed, settling his hands together over his lap, "Either come up with a way to get Belén to stop coming or…" he swayed his head while Caitlin gave him a look.

"Or?" she asked.

"Well, she has been here since day one - if you wanted to tell her, don't let us stop you," Wells told Barry with all honesty.

Barry sucked in a breath at the idea, unsure what he really wanted to do regarding Belén. Joe had made him swear not to tell Iris about anything metahuman-wise but Belén had not been mentioned once. He recalled Belén mentioning his father working at the big rivalry lab against Star Labs and the hatred the man apparently had for this lab. Her father would be even more on edge about his daughter being so close to those of Star Labs, and especially a new helper of the hazardous lab.

There was also the fact he had begun to help Belén with her brother's case in secret. While only being a couple days, he already felt responsible for keeping her hopes up. He hadn't actually made proper contact with her as this new vigilante that was looking over the city, and he supposed if that happened and Belén figured out it was him all along...she would not take it as well as he hoped she would.

~ 0 ~

"Are you sure you want to eat here?" Cisco repeated his question to Belén for about the tenth time despite the woman already telling him she wanted to eat at Jitters.

And, once more, Belén gave a nod, coming to a stop in front of Jitter's, "To be honest, I'm not very hungry," she admitted and glanced into the coffee shop, lightly sighing, "I just want to be with my friend - and away from home."

The fact he didn't know all Belén's problems made Cisco feel immensely guilty. When Barry had been in the coma, he practically had gotten to know Belén so well and close. Hell, he had even asked her out on a date at one point. He hadn't realized he'd been losing connection with her due to helping Barry out in the city.

The two friends walked inside the shop and spotted Iris coming out of the backroom at the counter with her purse slung over her shoulders, seemingly getting ready to leave the place. Upon seeing the two, however, Iris met them halfway.

"Hey," she gave each a hug then stepped back.

"You don't get out this early, do you?" Belén confusedly questioned, even glancing for the wall clock to see if she'd gone past her lunch hour.

"No," Iris waved a hand, "Barry and I have to go to some Simon Stagg event for one of my assignments so I got someone to cover my shift."

"Are you going to abuse him for science knowledge again?"

"Uh, yes, yes I am," Iris proudly nodded and looked at Cisco, "You're not going to tell him I abuse him right? I mean, Barry knows that's why I have him come with me but I don't want to flatout say it."

"It's all good," Cisco assured. He placed a hand on Belén's arm and motioned up ahead, "I'm gonna go get us a table, alright?"

"Okay," Belén nodded and so off went Cisco, leaving the two women alone for a minute.

Iris took a minute to study her friend and was sadly deemed her still nowhere near the happy, motor-mouth friend she had met so long ago. "Are you okay, Bells?" she went with the simple question but she really didn't know how else to start in that topic.

Belén deeply sighed and shook her head, "No. My mom is still here and she's nagging me to come back with her to Starling. What am I supposed to do?"

"Not leave for starters," Iris mumbled but quickly realized it hadn't been as quiet as she thought, "I mean, I mean if you don't want to…"

Belén playfully smiled, "She thinks by bringing me back with her I'll magically forget that my twin brother has gone missing. I'm a journalist for a reason - I don't forget things, I search until I get the truth. And truth is what I will get."

"Well, if you need anything, let me know," Iris made sure to show her full support, "And if you're really hell bent on staying away from home you can always stay with me."

"Don't you stay with Eddie a lot more now?"

"Yeah, but I can always cancel for a girl's night," Iris nudged her, satisfied to see Belén chuckle, "Now I really have to get going. I'll see you around, okay?"

"Okay," Belén smiled and watched her leave. She started towards the table that Cisco had parted for them when she abruptly stopped from a dizzy episode. While she only stumbled back a couple short steps, it was enough to make everything spin for a minute. When it slowly passed, Belén sucked in a deep breath and straightened up, thankful no one had noticed it. The last thing she needed was someone calling in a doctor. She went on her way to have lunch instead, although making a mental note to call Nina later in the day.

~ 0 ~

After rushed changing, Iris and Barry made it to the Simon Stagg event as was needed. Iris could not believe Barry had nearly forgotten he had promised to accompany her so he would help her with the science parts for her article. She would've blamed the coma for his lack of memory but that would be a lie - Barry was always forgetting things like these.

"Okay, all right, first things first…" Barry was reciting to her after hearing Stagg's speech, "Simon Stagg's work in cellular cloning has led to huge advancements in the future of organ replacement…" but he trailed off when Iris was paying more attention to a passing waiter with drinks on a tray.

After taking two glasses, Iris glanced at Barry, "Are journalists allowed to drink on the job?"

Barry disapprovingly took the glasses from her and put them down on a table, "Okay. If you are bored already, just wait till we get to the science behind cellular regeneration."

Iris chuckled and looped her arm around his, "I have missed this, Barry. I feel like we haven't spent any quality time together since you woke up from the coma."

Barry knew that was quite true. Ever since he woke up he had been busy trying to save people in the city and looking into Belén 's case, along with the other police department cases they sprung on him. "Yeah, I've had a crazy few weeks, I know," he said and felt worse for lying to her face.

"I thought maybe you'd been avoiding me because of Eddie. I know you think it's wrong, me dating my dad's partner, and I just—"

"No," Barry shook his head, "That's not it, not at all."

Iris smiled in relief and gasped when she saw Simon Stagg walking by them, "Oh! Oh! Mr. Stagg!" she called and went for him, "I was wondering if I could get a quote from you for my article…"

But one of the man's guards stopped her from getting any closer, "Not now, miss."

Iris made a face as the two men walked on by, "I'll just make something up," she decided and turned back for Barry.

As soon as they were together once more, they heard gunshots from across the room. Barry held her back as a couple of men, all dressed in black and covered around the face, walked in with guns.

"Quiet down! All of you!" the assumed leader ordered the crowd, "How considerate! You're all wearing your finest jewelry! Almost like you knew we were coming to rob you! Now everybody line up!"

With nothing much to do, the crowd obeyed and formed two lines where they were promptly forced to remove all their expensive accessories and drop them into black bags. Even Iris was forced to drop in a pretty bracelet. Suddenly, a cop showed up from another side of the room and was holding a gun at one of the thieves.

"Freeze! D-d-drop your weapons!"

Barry was able to see the thief pull out a gun to shoot the office with. Using his quick speed, Barry got the officer out before the shots reached him. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite there with his locations so he ended up going a little farther after leaving the officer. When he was about to go back into the building to deal with the thief, he found himself weak and fell against a dumpster.

Later on, Iris would find him at the exact location but on the ground instead. She had been so terrified to see him gone and nowhere in sight. Once the thieves had left and the police had arrived at the sight she dashed out to go find Barry. Seeing he was alright, in what fit, she brought him back into Stagg's building where her father and Eddie were looking into the case.

"Where were you?" Joe was quick to demand, half terrified when he'd gotten yet another informant on a robbery where his daughter and adoptive son were in.

"Dad, go easy," Iris motioned with a hand to stop, "I found him outside. He fainted."

"You want me to get you a paramedic, Allen?" Eddie asked, already making a move to leave when Barry shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks, Eddie," Barry assured and heard a carried out voice talking to an inspector. Glancing

to the side, Barry realized it had been the officer he managed to save, telling another officer what had occurred after the thief had shot.

Joe also heard and motioned to Barry to follow, "Let me talk to you for a second," once they were a decent amount away from Iris and Eddie, he spoke metahuman topics, "You chased those gunmen, didn't you?"

"Yeah, they must be the same guys that knocked over the gun shop earlier today."

"And what were you going to do when you caught them? Huh? Ask them nicely to pull over? You're not bulletproof," but Joe had paused curiously, "Wait, are you?"

"No," Barry answered rather glumly about it, "but-"

"Okay, no more heroics," Joe declared, "Chasing bad guys is not your job. It's mine. You're not a cop. Promise me. Promise," he waited until Barry gave his resigned nod, "And you know Iris is not stupid. Start making better excuses than "I fainted."

Barry rolled his eyes but accepted that was also true. It appeared lying to his friends, or in this case really only Iris and Belén was a lot tougher than he anticipated.

~ 0 ~

Nina was setting out many medical pages over her kitchen table for Belén and her to look over. She occasionally glanced at Belén who had resided in her balcony while she retrieved the medical records. Much like the others, she was increasingly getting more worried over Belén's complete change in attitude towards anything. Though knowing Belén longer than anyone else, it made her worry skyrocket.

"Belén, they're here," she quietly called to the blonde woman before going back into the kitchen.

Belén silently walked back into the kitchen, sliding shut the balcony door then heading towards the table where laid all her records, and research. As she picked up one, she glanced to Nina and saw her creating a mushy, green milkshake in a blender. "Do you have to make that again?"

"Well, we've discovered it's the only thing that can maintain you for a while," Nina dropped in a couple spoons of sugar, "So yes, I have to. It's just nutrients."

Belén made a distasteful face and returned her gaze to the paper in front of her, "Why am I looking at this again? I'm pretty sure I got the jist of it all."

"Do we really?" Nina challenged with a quizzical look. She momentarily stopped with the ingredients to turn to her friend, "I'm a Doctor, Belén, but this is way out of my zone. I'm not Caitlin Snow nor Cisco Ramon. I'm pretty sure there's a lot more things we haven't picked up on."

Belén knew where the conversation was heading and immediately shut it down, "Nina, I came to you because I wanted some advice, or ideas."

"And this is my idea," Nina opened her arms, "Come clean to STAR Labs and get some help. I can only do so much for you here."

Still refusing she looked away, "I can't. What would they know about it?"

"Um, plenty of it considering  _they_  worked on the very thing that created this problem."

"They have their hands full with Barry, anyways. Besides, this is my thing and I can fix it on my own."

"Can you really?" Nina arched an eyebrow at the woman before turning on the blender.

Feeling dizzy again, Belén plopped herself down on a chair and slumped back. She hated feeling so weak and useless, especially when she couldn't afford it. She needed to be searching for her brother, not trying to decipher medical records. As soon as Nina gave her the disgusting green milkshake, Belén did her best to down it all in a couple of drinks and gathered her things to go on her way.

"Where are you going?" Nina called as Belén opened the door.

"Places to be," Belén called back and left the apartment.

~ 0 ~

In an alleyway, under a dark night, had gathered up Danton Black, responsible for the latest robberies in the city, and Simon Stagg's head of security. Danton had strikes a deal with Java to give him access to Stagg in an easy way but due to the mishap of the robbery earlier, Stagg had gotten out alive. After requesting more information on Stagg and Java refusing, Danton revealed he could clone himself and thus Java with a violent beat down. As Danton was getting ready to leave the scene, a light purple mass hit only a couple feet from him.

He glanced back to see a woman in purple leather jumping down to the ground, "Danton Black," her modified voice called, "I have a deal for you."

"I don't need any deals," Danton dismissed the woman and was about to walk away when another heavy purple mass hit him on the back, making him crash to the ground.

"Funny, because I think you do," the woman came up to Danton and even though the only thing he could see were her eyes, he could tell she was just another criminal, "Let us help each other, no? You clearly want Simon Stagg dead and I am more than willing to make it easier."

When Danton got back on his feet, he studied the woman more carefully, "And how is a small woman like you gonna help me, hm?"

The woman merely chuckled and glanced to the side where her two purple masses were, "I think it's clear I can put up a fight. I can help, I want to help."

"And why is that?"

"Because, like you, I have lost someone as well. And I want revenge," the woman declared with a darkness in her tone. "Fortunately, I am with someone who wants the same things that I do. You can be a fine addition."

"I'm not looking to join some super villain squad," Danton rolled his eyes, "I'm only want Stagg. And I certainly don't need it from a purple girl."

"Call me Plasticine," the woman said calmly, "Mr. Black, I would think very carefully of what you decide. You need help. That's why we're reaching out."

Danton persisted in his refusal and leaned forwards to the woman, "I, do not."

"If you decide otherwise find me here tomorrow night, ten o'clock. Choose wisely, Mr. Black," Plasticine smirked and walked past him, leaving the man to consider the idea of allies.

~ 0 ~

The next day, in the afternoon, Barry was hard at work in his lab, or rather trying to with all the thoughts he tried pushing away constantly. Things were no where near good and it was barring him from actual, coherent thought.

When he saw Joe coming in he assumed the worst and asked, "Come to yell at me again?" after last night's argument, a heavy one where Barry did now admit (to himself) he had said words he didn't mean, he thought perhaps Joe wasn't finished with his scolds.

Joe merely held out two bags of evidence to Barry, "Simon Stagg's head of security was murdered last night. The coroner took some skin samples," he handed one of the bags over, "and they also found some gunk in several places of the scene," the next bag Barry took felt chunky, some pieces hard and the others soft. "Hopefully they belong to the killer. See if you can find a match. Can't be a coincidence that Stagg's benefit was attacked last night. I'm going to interview Stagg now."

"I'll come with you," Barry volunteered but only made it one step towards the door when Joe shot him down.

"Your job is in here. Stay in here and do it," Joe turned to leave and met his daughter at the threshold.

"Hey, Dad," Iris greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, baby. Gotta go," Joe smiled for her and went on his way.

Iris made a face at Barry as she approached him, "Okay, why is my dad mad at you?" she put down her coffee cup on the table, along with several sugar packs.

"Work stuff," Barry mumbled from his spot in front of a computer. He had set the skin sample on a scanner and the other chunks on another scanner to be looked upon closer. As he waited for the results he happen to look in Iris' direction and see the not-too-kind face of hers boring over his. "Why are  _you_  mad at me?" he was afraid to ask. How many people had he managed to piss off in the span of two days?

"You were supposed to meet me at Jitters to give me some last scientific background for my article," Iris hardened her look on him, intending on making him feel guilty. She had waited for an hour at Jitters before deciding Barry had completely forgotten about her.

It all clicked in Barry's mind his promise to her, "And I didn't show up," he hung his head.

"And now I have to come up with a new article topic in 24 hours or I fail the assignment."

"Iris-"

Iris was not up for another apology - she had plenty of those already, "Don't say you're sorry," she snapped, motioning with a hand for him to stop talking. She reached for one of the sugar packets on the table and started ripping it open for her coffee, "Okay, I know that you are. What I don't know is what is going on with you. We grew up one bedroom down from each other. Do you honestly think that I don't know when you're happy? Or sad or depressed or lost? I'm gonna ask you one last time, Barry Allen, and you better be honest with me. What the—"

Frustrated, Barry sped all around Iris, going too far so that Iris was left frozen in a middle of second. "You want to know what's happening. I'm fast now. God, I just want to tell you," he vented out his frustration that absolutely no one but her would understand, "How it all makes me feel! But I can't! Because then I would be breaking my promise to Joe and you could get hurt!"

Barry returned to his spot, letting time tick on as normal and watched Iris finish her question, "-hell is going on with you?" she arched an eyebrow at him. Behind Barry beeped his computer, alerting him his scans were finished. Iris groaned as Barry turned to read the results, warning him, "We are not done talking about this."

As Barry gathered the results, Iris came to stand beside him and noticed the confusion spreading across his features, "What is it?"

"There was a murder last night. These skin cells belong to the murderer, but these cells are naive. Stem cells that they can replicate and become any cell the body needs. They only come from babies," Barry clicked to the next page having the results of the chunks in the other evidence bag, "And these pieces of 'gunk' aren't gunk, but...derivatives...from…play doh?" even saying the word out loud sounded ridiculous.

Iris scratched her head, "So...your killer is a newborn that plays play-doh?" there's a sentence I never thought would come out of my mouth, she thought.

It was one of those moments Barry wished he could tell her what the results really meant: the criminal(s) were metahumans. But, keeping his word, he gave only a shrug to show his confusion and moved on.

~ 0 ~

Belén was sitting on her bed, cross legged, sifting through the web on her laptop when her young nephew, Axel, bustled in giggling.

"Auntie Belén! Auntie Belén!" the boy slammed his hands on the edge of her bed, flashing a grin at the woman.

Though confused with the presence of Axel, she smiled and reached down to put him on her lap, "Hi there, Axel, what are you doing here?"

Axel giggled again, covering his mouth with one hand, "I'm playing hide-and-seek with my Mommy."

Belén turned her attention to her laptop that had a page open on an several abstracts of the 'red streak' of Central City. Having gotten frustrated the mysterious streak hadn't made official contact with her anymore, she was doing the job herself of finding him.

When she heard someone clearing their throat by her doorway, Belén quickly shut her laptop and glanced to see her sister, Maritza, leaning on the threshold.

"I hope you weren't watching any inappropriate with my son in front of the screen?" Maritza playfully said, leaning off and walking in.

"No, no, nothing like that, promise," Belén flashed her a smile and discreetly pushed her laptop to the other side of the bed.

"No, you were supposed to wait!" Axel groaned and pushed himself off the bed, running right past his mother to the hallway.

"Is there any reason you've visited? I don't think I'm missing some family dinner, am I?" Belén made a mental relay of any plans she knew of, and none of them consisted of a family dinner.

"Alright, Belén, I'm not going to play baby with you like mom and dad are," Maritza took a long sigh which gave Belén the opportunity to sarcastically remark.

"Oh no, I was so looking forwards to that," she leaned back on her headboard, arching an eyebrow, "Please don't tell me you're here on behalf of dear old mother?"

"Belén, you need to let this resentment of our mother go," Maritza sternly told her sister. Belén rolled her eyes, "I mean it. It has been so many years since they divorced-"

"You think I resent her because she  _divorced_  Dad?" Belén scoffed, almost indignant of being perceived as that type of person. "I get that they didn't work, I don't hold that over her nor Dad. Each deserve to find their happiness and it just so happened it wasn't with each other. Honestly, the idea that you would think that of me-"

"Well you don't give a lot go by here," Maritza snapped, "You never tell us anything about that. The only thing you do when we mention Mom is make this face and start muttering things. What are we supposed to think?"

"You could try this thing where you actually  _ask_  what's wrong," Belén said with a hint of tears in her eyes, "Instead of just thinking things about me - assuming everything. You know it's because of Mom that I quit my dancing-"

"That wasn't a real career, Bel-"

"Can we not!?" Belén almost shouted, her frustration still raw despite the fiasco of her career change being years ago. "Mom said everything you're gonna say years ago. That was my dream...and she cut me off midway, sticking me in journalism."

"But you love that now," Maritza gestured to the laptop sitting on Belén's bed.

"Yes, but you and I both know that had it not been for Mom, I would be swinging on silk right now doing what I dreamed of," Belén crossed her arms. "So you can go ahead and tell Mom that her little plans for me are off."

"She doesn't want you to forget about Rayan, she just wants to prevent you from falling into depression-"

"I will not fall into depression. I am not depressed. I am  _angry_ ," Belén slowly enunciated the last word, "I am angry that the police is giving up on the case. I am angry that Dad is all too easily letting it go. I am angry that Mom thinks she can snatch me out of my city and force me to forget that my twin brother is out there."

"But that's just the thing...we don't know that he's still out there," Maritza whispered sadly, "The chances of him being alive after all this time is…"

"Unlikely, I know, but not impossible," Belén said, a hopeful expression settling over her face, "Maritza, you have to believe me. You have to help me. Rayan isn't dead, it doesn't make sense okay? He is out there, and he's-"

"Oh no, Belén," Maritza shook her hand, turning away to leave then.

"Maritza, stop!" Belén called out for her sister. "You have to believe me-"

"It's impossible," Maritza shot back, stopping by the doorway to look back.

"No, it's not," Belén insisted, "Haven't you seen those reports of the Red Streak around the city? What we thought is impossible is not. And a couple weeks ago, when I was coming home, there was this flash of wind and-"

"You have got to take a rest!" Maritza almost shouted, feeling guilty only seconds later when she saw the look of hurt on Belén's face, close to tears, "Belén, I love you, but there is nothing out there except lunatic bloggers looking for naive readers. I am not asking you to forget about Rayan - I would like you to move on with your life. You're young, you're beautiful and you're about to graduate. Focus on that. You don't have to leave with Mom but you do have to stop all this nonsense."

Belén swallowed a lump down her throat, her voice meek as she said, "If you would just listen to what happened to me…"

"Get some rest, Belén," Maritza softly instructed, "I'll talk to Mom and Dad downstairs and make them see coming back to Starling City wouldn't be a good idea. But that's all I can do for you," with that, Maritza walked out and closed the door.

Minutes later, Belén slumped back against her headboard and her angry, hot tears turned into sobs.

~ 0 ~

Barry groaned as Caitlin dabbed a cotton swab with alcohol over his cheek with a bruise. He had finally met the criminal responsible for the latest robberies and pretty much lost. But in his defence, he was outnumbered by a decent amount.

"Sorry," Caitlin winced with each contact she made with his face, knowing the sting was awful, "The abrasions are already rapidly healing."

"Yeah, I got my ass handed to me," Barry sighed, not very surprised with the results. The man was able to replicate himself and all he could do was just run fast.

Cisco was working on getting the super suit cleaned up across the room and was disappointed on finding blotches of blood over it. "You got blood on my suit."

Barry glanced back at him, "I think some of it belongs to him. Another not-so-friendly meta-human. Danton Black. "

Caitlin put down the swab after finishing and walked back to the computer where Wells had brought up information over the newest metahuman. "He's a bio-geneticist specialized in therapeutic cloning. Growing new organs to replace failing ones. Apparently Stagg stole his research and then fired him."

"I saw Black create duplicates from his own body," Barry remembered perfectly.

"That's pretty ironic," Cisco stopped working momentarily, "The guy specialized in cloning and now he can make xeroxes of himself."

"If he was experimenting on himself when he was exposed to the dark matter wave released by the particle accelerator explosion—" Wells began to consider the idea but Cisco had something important to say.

"Meet Captain clone," he grinned, "Don't worry. I'll come up with something cooler."

Barry had started for the doors when Caitlin called out, "Where are you going?"

"Joe was right," Barry sighed, turning around to them, "I'm in way over my head. Yeah, I'm fast, but I am no warrior. Man, I could barely fight one meta-human, let alone six."

"Barry. I understand. Today was a setback," Wells said, "But any grand enterprise has them. And we can never learn to fly without crashing a few times.

"This wasn't a grand enterprise, Dr. Wells. This was a mistake," Barry declared and took leave, ignoring any others persistence from the trio. What was the point in trying to help people if he couldn't take down one metahuman? The first difficult one, and he couldn't do it? Was he really cut out to be some sort of hero?

~ 0 ~

Out in Central City park was Belén sitting on the bench facing the small shrine of her brother's against the fountain. With the recent news of the findings and the case being shut down people had dropped by more trinkets and candles in honor of Rayan. If it wasn't for the sake of politeness, Belén would have tore away all the trinkets of the shrine because she knew he was still alive. But of course no one would believe her, so the shrine remained unharmed.

Not too far away, Barry came to a stop after speeding in from Jitters. He had a feeling Belén would be there and once again he was right. He needed to have a word with her, though now that he thought more he realized perhaps the talk would be more efficient if it were in the super suit than regular ole him. After having a small dinner with Iris at Jitters, he came to the horrific discovery Iris had changed her topic to that of the 'red streak' and would be looking far more into that than anything. Immediately afterwards, Barry sought to look for Belén and find a way to keep her quiet about the mystery helper she had acquired. For the moment, he would have to makeshift a conversation with her to see if she mentioned anything to anyone...though it would be tricky due to him not supposed to know she even had a helper in the first place.

As he neared her, he caught the faint sounds of sniffles and realized she was crying. Rather awkwardly, he approached her from beside the bench, clearing his throat to make his presence known to her.

Immediately Belén straightened up and sniffled in deeply, "Barry…" she felt embarrassed he'd once again caught her in such a bad time full of tears and despair, "What are you doing here?"

"Just...around," Barry knew that was yet another lie sooner or later Belén would come to realize if he didn't come up with anything better soon. Her quiet demeanor warned him to be careful with what he said or did next. "And you? You're…?"

Belén nodded to her brother's shrine ahead, "Right now, this is the only place where I can get some peace."

"Yeah, Iris did mention you were having problems at home."

Belén loudly scoffed, getting up from the bench, "That's an understatement. Everyone is so...against me," her tears welled in her eyes, "My own family is against me. I feel so...alone."

"I know the feeling all too well," Barry gave a light sigh. Whether it was his issues with his family, or being a brand new metahuman, he didn't feel like anyone really understood him. He has friends, he had an adoptive family, but he felt alone.

Belén felt ashamed of dropping such a melancholy story with him. She took a breath and looked at him with a plastered smile, "Did you need something? I don't know where Iris is."

"No, um, I was, um...walking," Barry threw a thumb over his shoulder.

"And you saw the crying girl," Belén wiped her face, having herself a bitter chuckle, "Totally not embarrassing."

"You're having a bad time, there's nothing embarrassing about that," Barry sternly told her, "Your brother's case was closed, it's a natural response to be sad and...cry…"

"It seems like I'm the only one that's acting like this," Belén muttered, crossing her arms, "Do you know, my parents and sister are so unfazed. They're acting like nothing happened. Like we didn't just lose someone of our family. They don't want to keep looking, they don't want to help."

Barry knew he was inching closer to the topic he really wanted to talk about. Discreetly, he pressed for further words, "And...what exactly are you doing to help for the case?"

Belén sighed, "You know, basic stuff for a journalist. I've been revisiting some of the evidence and just following up on places Rayan used to go to."

"That must be hard work for just one person…"

Belén's eyes flickered to their immediate area, considering doing something rash. She didn't know why him, but she felt like she could trust him. She turned to him with a secretive look, "Well, not entirely alone. Can I ask you a favor?"

"Well," Barry took a sarcastic breath and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "you only did help take care of me in my coma and spent a lot of time at STAR Labs because of me so...I guess I owe you a favor."

Belén laughed, startling Barry with how different she sounded when she was actually...happy. Although it was short and of a simple thing, it gave a great satisfaction in the metahuman. And it almost made him want to find other ways to repeat.

"Do you know about the red streak?" Belén asked quietly, stepping closer to him for cautionary measures.

"Yeah," Barry nodded, "Iris told me a lot about it."

"For her blog about it, yeah," Belén sighed, "I feel so bad I haven't told her that the red streak kind of made contact with me a couple days ago."

"He did?" Barry tried not to seem as relieved as he was after hearing Belén hadn't yet told Iris anything.

"Mhm, just a couple of blocks from home. I don't know how, but the red streak knows I'm looking for my brother, and I don't know why but they're going to help me," Belén shrugged, looking just as curious and awed as she did the first night. "And I haven't really told anyone because...I don't want to seem like I finally lost my mind, and because I don't want to be harassed by other journalists."

"Does that include Iris?"

"Unfortunately, yes. If she posts that I know the red streak it'll just cause chaos. I want to keep this a secret."

"Why did you tell me, then?" Barry, truthfully, was curious of this particular choice.

Belén sheepishly looked away, "I don't know, I like you and...maybe you can help me too?"

"Am I being used here?" Barry feigned offense and even put a hand on his chest for dramatic effect.

"No!" Belén exclaimed quickly, acquiring her fast talking skills, one that Barry hadn't seen anymore since he fell under the coma. "Oh God no! I didn't mean to - I didn't want to insinuate...I just thought that maybe you could help me since you know a lot more about the police things than I do. But if you don't want to then that's okay and I'm - I'm sorry and-"

"I was only kidding Belén," Barry laughed softly at the woman who blushed of embarrassment. "But it's good to see you talking like that again," although it didn't look like Belén agreed as she was embarrassed. "Bells, it's fine. And you can count on me for anything you need."

That caused a wave of joy and relief to wash over Belén's face. "Oh my God, thank you!" in her excitement, she jumped forwards and encased Barry in a hug.

Barry laughed and gently pulled away from the woman, feeling his phone begin to vibrate in his pocket. "It's not a big deal, honestly. I work with the police, it's a little thing."

Belén's smiled turned soft, "Sometimes, it's the little things that can truly make a difference in someone's life. Thank you."

Barry was touched to hear her say those words, but his phone's incessant vibrating grabbed his attention. He excused himself from Belén for a minute, seeing Caitlin's name on the phone's screen he prepared to repeat his 'I'm done' speech. However, after getting a rather urgent call for help he couldn't resist from speeding to STAR Labs. Thankfully, Belén had been preoccupied with her brother's shrine to pay attention to him leaving.

When Barry arrived at the labs, he blocked the way to Caitlin and Cisco from...Danton Black. But before he could throw a punch or anything, Caitlin started explaining.

"Barry, it's okay. It is not okay. It's one of his replicates!"

Stunned, and confused, Barry turned around to his two friends, "How did you get it?"

"I grew him," Caitlin reolied I isolated a sample of Black's blood from you suit to see if I could trigger the in vitro cultivation process and learn how Black multiplies. So I exposed the target cells to a protein gel, and they began replicating... Into that," she gestured to the current clone.

Barry glanced at the motionless clone, "Why isn't he - it doing anything?"

Wells moved towards them from the computers, "We did a brain scan. Involuntary motor functions are active, little else."

"We think it's acting as a receiver," Cisco said, "The clones are an empty shell without Black. Shut down the real Black, and you might shut them all down."

"But how do we know which one's the real Danton Black?" asked Barry, still only mildly convinced.

"That occurred to me given your own passing out," Caitlin smiled, "Black has limits, just like you. Controlling all of those clones must require a tremendous amount of physical strength. So, look for the one showing signs of weakness or fatigue. He's the prime."

"Just a theory... But one you might want to put to the test, Mr. Allen," Wells said slowly, still giving Barry am encouraging look.

Cisco whipped out two granola-looking bar and held it for Barry. "Plus, I whipped up these high- calorie protein bars for you to keep your metabolism up."

Before Barry could say a word, the Danton clone sprang to life but was immediately shot from behind. As it fell to the floor, Joe slowly walking into the room with his gun aimed.

"Any more of them?"

"Nope," Caitlin made a face, sad to see her creation go down.

"Why did it start moving?" Barry, alarmed, looked at the others for an answer.

"The prime. My guess is, the prime is on the move," Dr. Wells replied. "This one heard the summons to battle."

"And I know where he was summoned to," Joe called, "Stagg Industries."

"You should call it in," Barry gestured, but Joe shook his head.

"Police can't fight this. What Black's become, like Mardon... Beyond me," he sighed. "Maybe way beyond them, too. The only person it's not beyond is you. You gotta do this. I get it. So for once in your life, do what I tell you to do. Go stop him. Just get me those figures by morning, okay?"

Barry exchanged smiles with the man, his confidence boosting within seconds.

~ 0 ~

When Belén walked in through the front door of her home, she wasn't surprised to find her mother and father conversing by the living room, her mother holding the handle of her suitcase on the side. Her presence made both turn to her, each wearing those sympathetic smiles Belén hated to see from them. It was like they had pity for her, and they shouldn't. She was completely fine - she just wanted her brother back.

"I was just leaving, honey," her mother, Veronica, declared and walked to Belen, wheeling her suitcase behind. "And don't worry, I have completely given up on taking you back to Starling with me."

Belén could honestly sigh in relief at that. "Well, I thank you for that."

Veronica nodded, happy to see she was at least going to leave on a somewhat lighter note. "But please, if you ever need anything from me, give me a call?"

Belén arched an eyebrow, seeing her father from behind giving her a pointed to look telling her to be polite. "Fine," she resigned to answer.

Veronica kissed her head and grabbed her suitcase handle again. "Well, I should be making that train, then. I expired all my vacation time at the police station," she chuckled and went for the doors.

"Come by any time," Belén's father, David, came up behind Belén to bid goodbye to the woman.

"Mom," Belén called, stopping Veronica by the door. Veronica glanced back questioningly, and Belén nervously requested, "Can you say to 'hi' to Laurel for me? You were right, I...haven't spoken to her in a while."

Veronica warmly smiled and nodded. "Of course, sweetheart." Belén matched her mother's smile with a dimmer one but it was still the first one in a long time that wasn't sarcastic nor bitter.

When Veronica left, Belén made it her duty to alert her father, "You know I'm still going to keep looking for Rayan, right?" she made way for the kitchen.

David groaned and followed after his daughter. "Belén, please, don't bother yourself with the case."

Belén shook her head. "Dad, you realize you are essentially asking me to forget that your son, my brother, is missing?" She went straight for the fridge and opened it up, searching for something to drink.

"Belén, it hurts, I know it does, but sometimes it's best to move on," David sighed, "Not for them, but for us. Rayan is dead, and it hurts immensely, but that is the truth."

Belén closed the door of the fridge and turned to her father, pulling the cap off a lemonade bottle. "Dad, if you would just-"

"No, Belén," David waggled a finger at her, "I don't want to hear more of this. You are going to focus on finishing up your credits to graduate and then to becoming a wonderful journalist. Am I clear?"

Belén nodded silently, letting him leave in a somewhat calmer mood. She took a drink from her bottle and leaned back on the fridge. "Hm," she arched an eyebrow as an idea came to her. "I'm done sitting and waiting - I'm going to get ahold of you, red streak," with a smirk, she walked out of the kitchen.

~ 0 ~

Across the street from Stagg offices, Plasticine stood on the rooftop of a building intently watching the ongoing fight between the 'Red Streak' and Danton Black. Even though Danton had created a swarm of clones, the Red Streak had managed to isolate the prime and weaken him until the clones all fell unconscious. Somehow, Danton had crashed through the window of a room and nearly fell down if it weren't for the Red Streak helping him. But even then, the help given was not enough to stop Danton from falling to his death.

Plasticine put a black boot on the ledge of the building to peer down at the dead man on the street. "Hm," she tilted her head, "You should have listened." She gave out the useless advice now.

Her eyes raised to the Red Streak across her, still looking down at the dead man. "Now who are  _you_...?"

~ 0 ~

The next day, Barry and Joe were having lunch together - with a couple stacked pizza boxes thanks to Barry's new metabolism - in Barry's lab. The two had patched things up after their nasty fight in concerns of Barry's new vigilante job and were now focused on solving the murder of Barry's mother with the actual culprit. As the two conversed over the clues they already had from the past, they heard an awkward clearing of throat from the doorway.

"Belén," Barry stood up from the table in surprise.

Belén blushed in embarrassment as she knew she had probably intruded on a nice lunch between the two men. "Sorry, sorry…" she slowly walked in. "I shouldn't have come in but then again this is kind of the only time I can for today because I have work and then I have to go to school later and my night is going to be - hopefully - filled up as well and-"

"Don't you need to breathe?" Joe cut her off, amusedly watching her.

Belén blushed deeper, nodding her head. "I tend to do that a lot." She sheepishly looked to Barry. "Can we talk, please? I won't be long I promise. I'm on a lunch break too, so…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't worry," Barry glanced at Joe, silently asking for a moment.

Joe understood it and raised his hands, motioning he would leave. "I'll be back," he announced and walked past Belen.

"Again, I didn't mean to intrude," Belén apologized as she came up to the table where the two had been having lunch. "But like I said, my day's a bit full and…" she trailed off upon seeing the pinboard of Barry's mother's murder case facing them, "...oh…"

"U-uh…" Barry panicked and hurried to go hide that again, not that it would matter anyways. "Sorry, we were-"

"Doing exactly what I want to do with my brother's case," Belén said quietly, lightly smiling his way. "If you feel the need to cover it up, then do so. But I'm glad you're still trying to find out who really killed her."

"You know about that?" Barry made a face, temporarily forgetting of Iris' connection to her.

"Well, Iris mentioned to me that you thought your father wasn't the real culprit-"

"Because he's  _not_ ," Barry accidentally, aggressively, cut her off. "He's not. It was a man in a yellow suit."

Belén didn't get upset by the gesture and simply nodded. "I believe that. I guess this is why you were so open to helping me with Rayan's case, huh?"

"Well…" Barry felt slightly guilty for his earlier outburst, seeing how kindly she was taking it.

"I just came in to see if you had anything on that case," Belén finally explained. "I was planning on meeting with the Red Streak tonight and I wanted to come up with something myself."

"You're going to see him…?" Barry tilted his head, racking his mind to see if he had accidentally made contact with her again.

"Well, I'm hoping," Belén clarified and unknowingly relaxed Barry. "See, I left him this little thing at my brother's altar at the park. I'm hoping that if he's walking by, in his normal identity, he might catch it and come." As Barry continued to stare at her she blushed and looked down. "I know, it's stupid. I plucked it out of TV, if I'm being honest. I'm just desperate." She heard her cellphone ringing from her bag and dug a hand inside to pull it out. Seeing it was Linda calling her she sighed and looked at Barry again. "I'm running a little late now. Do you have anything?"

Barry shook his head. "No, I'm sorry…" He had been too busy dealing with Danton Black to remember anything else.

Belén sighed. "Well, thanks anyways. Sorry for interrupting the lunch, I need to get back to work."

Barry nodded, sadly watching her leave. He now felt her saddened attitude was because of him, and thus he felt he needed to fix that. A short moment after Belen had left, Joe returned to the lab.

"What was that all about?" he promptly asked, having seen Belen glumly leaving the station.

Barry cheekily smiled at the man. "Hey Joe, how complicated would it be to get my hands on Rayan's Palayta's case file?"

Joe raised his eyebrows questioningly and crossed his arms, getting that 'what are you up to' face rather quick. "Why?"

"Because the Red Streak is going to see someone special tonight and he can't come up with empty hands, can he?"

Joe tilted his head, his expressions turning to surprise yet warningly as well. "Barry Allen, what are you thinking? That girl is literally inches from discovering who you are. Need I remind you she is close to Iris who cannot know who you are?"

"I hear you, I hear you," Barry raised his hands, chuckling, "But I would like to help the girl who helped me without even knowing me. Is that such a bad thing to do?"

"Barry," Joe said in his reprimanding way.

"Joe, please?" Barry got serious fast. "I promised her, as this new vigilante, that I would help her. And as her new friend, I would really like to keep that. Please, can you help me?"

~ 0 ~

Late in the night, Belén sat on the park bench across the fountain where her brother's altar was. She was wrapped up in a black coat to get her through the feisty winds the night had brought on. Occasionally, she would pull her phone from her pocket to check the time, hoping that it would be the last time because the Red Streak finally made an appearance. However, when it came to be past midnight, she resigned to leave and hopefully sneak past her father who had no idea she wasn't even in her room. She had snuck out from the balcony of her bedroom and made a run for the park. God, she felt like a child.

But she was becoming weary of the day and knew that if she didn't get up and go home, she would risk falling asleep on the bench.

With a disappointed sigh, she pulled herself to her feet and started walking away. Only a couple steps afterwards, she felt an unexpected wind blow her hair back. For the first couple of seconds, Belén stayed the way she was, swallowing nervously as her heart raced.

"It's a bit late for you to be out alone don't you think?" came the modulated-voiced of the 'Red Streak'.

A wide smile broke across Belén's face instantly but she pushed it away after a minute in order to face the vigilante. She slowly turned around, lightly gasping at the sight of the red-suited man, because she was sure now he was a man. "Well, it's a good thing you're out here then, right?" she replied, sounding in awe as much as her gaze portrayed. She was trying to differentiate his features but in the dark and with his mask on, she couldn't do it.

"Next time you want to talk to me, don't choose a late hour, please," Barry almost pleaded from her. He didn't like the idea of her lonesome self waiting out in the park.

A smirk worked at the corner of Belén face as she stepped forwards. "Well, maybe next time don't leave me hanging for days."

"Fair enough," Barry nodded. "I'm sorry for that, by the way."

Belén disregarded the apology in favor of her curiosity. "Why did you decide to help me? I mean, I know you're helping a lot of people but they're ordinary people in trouble. Why help me specifically? You don't even know who I am."

"Belén Palayta, twenty three, half Mexican, half Italian, college senior, misunderstands science a lot, technically the youngest of your family, and holding an internship at CC Picture News," Barry recited much to Belén's shock.

Although the 'misunderstands science a lot' bit really startled her, Belén smiled. "You looked me up?"

"Partly, yes...and the other I got it from this," Barry held the file of Belén brother's case in his hand.

"You got the file?" Belén blinked, assuming that was the reason Barry couldn't find anything earlier.

"I went over it, and I think a metahuman is responsible for the disappearance," Barry said, carefully watching Belén as she walked towards him. He couldn't rely on the dark to keep his identity fully concealed.

"What exactly is a...metahuman?" Belén curiously asked, stopping not too far from him.

"People who have acquired powers from the STAR Labs explosion-"

"Like you?" Belén feebly asked, inching nearer to him. Too much in awe to stop herself, she reached to touch his face but Barry caught her hand and shook his head at her. "Sorry…" she apologized and stepped away, reprimanding herself for her imprudent action. She couldn't stop herself from smiling, however, as she laid eyes on him again. "I'm just really excited to have someone actually want to help me. You, out of all people, believe me."

Barry nodded, understanding what it meant to have someone out there, believing the story no one else would. "I'm going to continue searching for more details," he promised her. "In the meantime, you can take a look at the file and get more information. But-" he suddenly went grim, "-under  _no_  circumstances do I want you putting yourself in any danger. That is my only condition and I want you to follow it."

Belén quickly nodded. "Got it! No danger! I promise," she chuckled.

Barry smiled at her. "You should smile more often, you know. It looks good on you."

Shyly, Belén tucked some hair behind her ear. "You should keep helping people, it suits you."

Barry chuckled. "Thank you. Now please, take this-" he motioned to the file he still held, "-and get home."

Belén reached for the file and held it to her chest. "Thank you. But, before you leave, tell me how do I contact you again?"

Barry glanced towards the altar at the fountain, seeing the little lightning bolt pin Belén had stuck on it. "Do what you did this time. I promise you I'll see it."

Belén smiled and nodded. "Okay." She turned to leave, making it only a few steps away when she felt arms wrap around her followed by the intense rapidness of traveling.

Next thing she knew she was standing outside her front door. She turned and saw the 'Red Streak' at the sidwalk, smiling at her. "Thank you for that," she quietly said, for the sake of the time and her pending sneaking in.

"I wasn't going to let you walk on your own," Barry replied, waving with one hand before speeding away.

Feeling far more content with herself, as well as a couple butterflies here and there, Belén unlocked the door and quietly stepped into her home, for the first time that day feeling relieved. Someone was going to help her.


	4. All Is A Secret

Belén and Iris made their way out of the theater and walked down a crowded street, contently munching on their leftover popcorn. Iris had opted for a very much needed girl's night out. She thought Belén would need all the excuses she could take just to be out the house.

"Maybe on Friday we could watch the premier of..." Iris trailed off when Belén stopped walking so suddenly. The woman had grown pale too. "Belén? Belén? What is it?"

Belén swallowed hard, hoping to God it would pass soon and she could excuse it with something plausible. Iris grew more concerned and helped Belén towards a wall so that the woman could rest for a bit.

"Should I call a doctor?" she asked when she saw no progress in Belén's condition. "Your Dad?"

"No, no," Belén waved a hand, her eyes shut for the moment. "I'm, uh, it's...it's passing, yeah…"

Iris scowled at such a lame lie thrown her way. "Annah-Belén Palayta, are you trying to lie directly to my face? You know how I feel about that." She sighed and dropped her popcorn to the ground so that she could help Belén walk again. "Maybe we should get you home. Let's call a cab?"

"I think…" Belén felt famished despite the fact they'd eaten plenty before entering the theater. "...Can we go to Nina's please? She's a doctor, and...and I don't want to worry my Dad. Please, Iris?"

Iris just wanted her friend to get better, so she agreed without another word. This wasn't the first time she noticed Belén's health suddenly decline, and she hadn't yet brought it up with Belén. Perhaps that had been wrong of her - she didn't want anything to happen to Belén just because she didn't bring it up. She was the only friend Iris really had!

~ 0 ~

Later that evening, David Palayta received the abrupt news Belén would be staying with Nina for the night. Iris had been left with the false illusion Belén was better and would be returning home after a nice cup of coffee with Nina. But as soon as Iris left, Nina got straight to work with the medical exams again. Belén laid in the guest room of Nina's apartment, sitting upright on the bed with a weary look on her face. It was ridiculous how tired she felt when today had been so calm and easy.

"It's the same thing again," Nina sighed when she came into the room, holding Belén's green milkshake in hand. "Sugar levels are dangerously low."

Belén no longer felt worried over that. She merely took her milkshake and drank down its disgusting contents. Nina walked over to the window, about to close the curtain when Belén called out.

"Don't! Leave it like that please?"

With a sigh, Nina nodded and left the room. Belén reached out for her phone on the nightstand and looked at the time. It was almost midnight.

 _He_  would most certainly be there already...and she wouldn't be there tonight. What would he think of her, then? A flake? An irresponsible? Surely he had better things to do than help a girl out.

Belén sighed to herself. "Please don't be mad with me," she pleaded in a whisper.

~ 0 ~

Iris was bringing a tray of dirty dishes back to the counter when she saw Barry coming into Jitters. "Hey," she greeted as she left the tray back.

"Hey," Barry greeted politely, eyes briefly looking around to hopefully see someone by. "Um, listen..." he began after seeing no one was around, "I was wondering if you...know anything about Belén?"

"Belén? Like what, exactly?"

"Em…" Barry stuffed his hands into his pockets, knowing he was going to fail miserably in trying to seem normal, "...like, uh...if she's okay?"

Iris sighed as she remembered her last encounter with Belén - three days ago at the movies - and shook her head. "I honestly don't know anymore."

Barry was just as concerned as she was, but he couldn't tell her it sprung from the fact Belén had missed their 'secret appointment' at the city park late at night three days ago. It had become a custom for them to meet each other - he as the 'Red Streak' - to consult about Rayan's case. Belén had never once missed the date. She was always the first one. And suddenly she misses one without so much a note at the fountain's altar for an explanation. Not to mention the fact that he hadn't heard a single word from her afterwards, as the regular friends they were.

"You want to know something weird?" Iris suddenly asked, breaking Barry's inside thinking. "Bells and I were at the movies three days ago. We were having fun, we ate and saw a good movie...and when we were leaving...she got dizzy or something."

"Dizzy?" Barry frowned. "Did you take her to a doctor?"

"We went to Nina's," Iris sighed. "Nina gave her some type of medicine and she told me Bells would be fine. That's the last thing I heard since that night."

"And you haven't called her or anything?" Barry inquired. "Visited maybe?"

"No, I've been a bit busy myself right now. I'm trying to find a way to tell my Dad about Eddie and I, so…" Iris made a motion, signalling the trouble she was going through as well.

"Got it," Barry nodded, understanding her. He was about to ask how  _she_  was doing, considering they hadn't really spoken much either, but his cellphone went off. Motioning to Iris he'd be a moment, he walked to the side and took the call.

There was a new crime scene and he was needed right away.

~ 0 ~

A little restaurant not too far from where Belén and Iris had gone to the movies, was the center location for the murder scene of a crime family. The entire place had been blocked off from the public's eye and while several police officers looked about for anything that would tell them about the criminals, Barry attended to the corpses lying at different locations from the grand dinner table the family had been going to use.

Although, he probably would be a little more focused if he didn't repeatedly find himself distracted with his honey-haired friend. He didn't even realize Joe had come up to him asking for any details on the corpses until he was gently nudged with a shoe on his leg.

"S-sorry, what?" Barry blinked and looked up, finding a half concerned half irritated Joe looking down at him.

"I was asking if there was anything new," Joe repeated himself for the last time.

"U-uh…" Barry quickly ransacked his mind for the last professional thoughts he had before his mind had gotten away from him. "Well, there was, um...there are signs of histotoxic hypoxia. The cells in their bodies were unable to utilize oxygen. It's consistent with exposure to poison gas."

"What kind of poison?" Joe wondered.

Barry got up to his feet and sighed as he looked to the other corpses. "I'll need to take a lung sample, see if I can narrow it down."

Eddie joined the two after having met with witnesses. "The only other exit was bolted from the inside. They were trapped. I was thinking someone pumped gas in from the outside, but witnesses say the street was empty."

"So it was from the inside," Joe concluded, already taking extra looks around them for anything suspicious. "That means there should be a canister or a container left behind. The gas just didn't come in by itself."

Barry, meanwhile, had begun making deductions based off the way the corpses had landed to their current positions. Without thinking, he added, "Unless it had a mind of its own."

Joe immediately understood the implication and quickly resorted to have Eddie leave. "Eddie, would you mind canvassing again? Somebody had to have seen something suspicious." Eddie nodded and went on his way to repeat his task. Joe then turned back to Barry. "Okay, explain."

Barry nodded and did just that. "The boss collapsed by the table," he pointed to the nearest corpse just beside the table. "This guy made it 10 feet away," he gestured to the corpse closest to the front window - presumably having shot at the window three times to no avail - with a gun lying beside him. "That guy had a chance to move off and fire three shots into the window trying to break the glass. But they all started in the same spot, which means they should have all been affected by the gas at the same time, but instead, it's as if…"

"They were attacked one by one," Joe saw where he was going. "My gut feeling, if we're gonna solve this one, you and me are gonna need... Backup."

"Yeah," Barry agreed, but judging by the face he had on Joe realized there was something else on his mind.

"What is it?" he asked wearily.

"It's just...do you think I could make a pit stop first?" Barry innocently smiled. "...for about an hour?"

"An hour?" Joe frowned. "Barry, need I remind you this is a case we need to solve fast? There could be a metahuman on the loose and you want to waste time?"

"It's not a waste of time, I promise," Barry pleaded. "It's very important, okay?"

"What could be more important than finding a metahuman who's out murdering people?" Joe demanded incredulously.

Barry sheepishly smiled when he realized how his answer would sound if he actually responded.

~ 0 ~

Linda Park was in the middle of typing a new article at her desk, occasionally looking out for the intern that was supposed to be getting her the notes she needed to  _finish_  the actual article. She was most certainly not expecting a strange young man to walk into the place. By the way he curiously looked around, Linda knew for sure he had never visited before.

She got up from her chair and walked around her desk, coming down the small steps of the higher-level ground. "Can I help you?" she politely asked once she reached the stranger.

Barry felt like a complete idiot the way he knew he looked so lost. "U-um, y-yeah...actually, yeah."

Linda smiled, crossing her arms. "Were you looking for someone?"

"Yeah," Barry nodded, knowing that was the third time he had answered with the same word. "Do you know where I can find Belén Palayta?"

Linda's eyebrows quirked upwards, looking bemused all of a sudden. "You're Belén's…?"

"Barry?" came the familiar voice of the needed woman. Barry turned to see Belén coming out of a side room, holding Linda's notes in her hands.

"Bells," Barry brightened up when he saw her looking (at least physically) well, "Hey…"

"What are you doing here?" Belén joined him and Linda, handing the latter the files in the process.

"I, uh, I was...in the neighborhood," Barry began his excuse, seeing it was probably not a good idea to begin with 'since you failed too meet me while I was the Red Streak I got worried'.

"You were?" Belén tilted her head, confused. Though beside her Linda was smirking widely, wishing her friend could get a simple clue.

"Yeah," Barry cleared his throat, awkwardly glancing at Linda.

Belén followed his gaze and saw Linda. Nudging the dark-haired woman, Belén sarcastically said, "Linda, that article isn't going to write itself you know."

Linda rolled her eyes, knowing she was being politely asked to leave. "Yeah, yeah, I'm gone. See you later, Belén," she waved to the intern then looked to Barry, "and nice to meet you, Barry."

"Likewise," he shook her hand and let her go. Afterwards, he focused back on Belén who was curiously waiting for him. She didn't look sick, from what Iris told him. Her eyes were shining their special brown tinge, and her smile was genuine.

"Was there something you needed, Barry?" Belén's voice cut into his thoughts. "Though I doubt there's anything a journalist can do for a forensic scientist."

"Um," Barry nervously smiled, berating himself for not coming in with a plan - he looked like an even bigger dork than what Iris told him he was. "I...it's just been a while since we heard anything from you," he came up with in the end.

"You were worried," Belén realized, feeling a tad special about it.

"Well, a little-" but then Barry worried how that may have sounded and tried to clarify, "-though when I say 'a little' I don't actually mean 'a little'-" he gestured with his index finger and thumb, "-I meant the decent amount-"

Belén's laughter cut right through his words, making him awkwardly shift in place. "And here I thought  _I_  was the motor mouth in this city."

"S-sorry," was all Barry could think of at the moment. He felt his face incredibly warm and that was never a good sign - especially near girls. Iris always teased him for blushing so easily, and always being so red!

"Oh c'mon," Belén sobered up and touched his arm, "I was only joking - absolutely no one can top me. I'm sure you heard what happened at the movies with Iris but I can assure you all I'm just fine.

"We just haven't heard from you, that's all," Barry tried again.

"Well, to be frank," Belén sighed, growing slightly serious, "I've been kind of getting the feel that you guys don't want me at Star Labs anymore."

"What? Why would you say that?" Barry asked, unable to awkwardly cough. He knew that was his fault for being unable to decide whether or not to tell Belén who he was.

"I can kind of tell when Cisco sputters as he tries to make up excuses on why we shouldn't meet at the lab," Belén crossed her arms. "I love that guy, but he sucks at lying."

"Look, Bells-"

"No, I totally get it," Belén waved a hand at him. "I'm kind of an idiot and I'm probably just in the way during your nerd talks."

"That's not it," Barry shook his head, but Belén gave him an earnest look.

"Then why?"

"Well…" Barry rubbed the side of his neck, seeing this was a lost cause that could only hurt Belén.

"It's fine, Barry," the blonde assured, turning to leave. "I get it, there's just some places where others don't belong. It's like…" she stopped and turned around, finding he had been following her and so she bumped into him. "Oh - well," she fixed her hair and smiled warmly, truly looking alright as she said she was, "It's like me barging into your lab to try and talk to you about science. Or, perhaps you coming in here," she chuckled at the irony, "and trying to talk to me about journalism."

"Technically, if I talk 'sciency'," Barry raised his fingers into quotation marks, making Belén laugh again, "I can probably come up with a decent article."

"Hmm," Belén feigned thoughts as she went to gather her things from a small desk. "If you want to put your money where your mouth is, I have the job."

"You do?" Barry blinked, unsure how to go about that.

"Mhm," Belén turned around, her bag's strap over her shoulder now, "You know Iris has this blog about the Red Streak and she knows diddly squat about the science part involved in all that. I'm sure you can help her more than I could."

Barry withheld the annoyed sigh threatening to escape through his lips. Iris continuing to write about him was an increasing problem for him and herself. Who knew what could happen to her if she kept at it?

"Listen Barry," Belén stepped closer to him, resting a hand on his arm, "I'm touched you came all the way over here just to see if I was okay. As you can see, I'm doing just fine. I guess with my brother's case, my job, my parents, my nearly-failing-biology-class, and my near graduation...I have a lot of things on my mind. It was nothing more than a burnout."

"Are you sure?" Barry softly asked her, looking for anything in her that would tell him she was lying.

"I'm sure," Belén nodded, retracting her hand from his arm. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go shop before I head to classes. My friend had the lovely idea to cast me in one of his final short plays so now I have to go and buy me some new clothes for the part."

Barry laughed, walking towards the doors with her. "Really? And what's the part?"

"Um, this 'geek' girl so…" Belén shrugged, "I have to go buy me some geek clothes, I guess. That should be fun considering I look horrible in the glasses and the flannels…" she quickly looked at him then, knowing the flannels were a part of his common attires, "...but on you they look good!"

"Thanks," Barry laughed, opening the door for her. "I'm sure you'll make an adorable nerd."

Belén glanced back at him, sporting a light blush on her cheeks. "Thank you."

The two shared a longer look before Barry felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Suddenly remembering he had somewhere else to be, he nervously smiled at Belén who was curiously looking at him...probably sensing something was off.

"I, uh...have to...uh…" Barry awkwardly had a thumb pointing over his shoulder, but for some reason the words were like a tongue twister, "...g-go...yeah...y-yeah, we, um, we…"

Belén's eyebrows raised, evidently amused by him. "You could say 'I have things to do' and just leave. I wouldn't be offended, Barry," she laughed.

"Bye Belén," Barry finally managed to say in one go and hurried off to Star Labs.

~ 0 ~

When Barry sped into Star Labs, everyone - even Joe - was in the cortex room attempting to discover more of the newest metahuman in the city. As soon as he stopped, Barry found himself bombarded with scoldings left to right about his tardiness. It didn't get any better when Joe let it slip the reason Barry was late because he had to go 'see a girl'.  _As if it was just any girl I was seeing_ , thought Barry.  _And it wasn't like that_ , he then told himself. He was just worried over Belén and he wanted to see if she was alright. Plus, Iris was worried too and as her brother it was his job to help her no matter what.

"It was necessary," Barry concluded to the others. And before there could be another comment made about it, he moved to the desk where Caitlin and Dr. Wells were at. "So, did we make any advances on the case?"

"We were really only making assumptions and other questions," Caitlin answered after a moment, looking at the others. "For example, how he's able to formulate the connection of the elements needed for the gas creation."

"Oh, and if it was just poisonous gas, or can he control all aerated substances?" Cisco added in, rather excited about the idea.

"So basically we have nothing," Joe declared and walked up to the desk, leaning an arm over it. "I did, however, mention the possibility of finding an adequate place to hold metahuman criminals. Iron Heights isn't ready for that kind of stuff."

"At which point I reminded the ones you've encountered so far are no longer with us," Dr. Wells smiled.

"Well, unless we're planning on executing every super criminal we stop, you geniuses are gonna have to come up with someplace else to hold them."

Cisco was more awed then. "A meta-human prison. Sweet."

"Until we figure a way to remove their powers," Wells added before anyone got other ideas.

After a moment of sober thinking, Cisco meekly reminded, "There is one place here that might hold them."

Caitlin's eyes widened, looking fearful. "You can't be serious. I mean, we haven't been down there since... it's cordoned off."

"Cisco is right," Wells interjected. "It could be modified to act as a makeshift prison."

"What could?" Joe inquired.

"It was where the Particle Accelerator was meant to work in," Wells explained, no one except Barry noticing the distant, over-fearful look on Caitlin's face. "It was meant to contain the chemicals and even stronger components. We could, theoretically, manipulate the area and convert it into different cells designed specifically for each metahuman's ability."

"That sounds good," Cisco shrugged.

"So then we should get down there to see what exactly we have to do."

"Yeah," Cisco agreed.

"Caitlin, let's go," Wells said but when Caitlin stayed silent he glanced at the brunette and called her again. "Caitlin. Caitlin. Did you hear me? We're going down to the accelerator ring."

Caitlin became flustered as she came out of her memories, wanting to push them away as far as possible for fear of breaking down over the death she was working so hard to move on from.

Barry saw that too and came to her aid. "Actually, Dr. Wells, I could use Caitlin's help identifying the poison gas."

Wells seemed to understand the conflict and let it go without another word of insistence. "Okay."

Barry looked to Caitlin, who was already shooting him 'thank you' looks. "If that's okay with you?" he asked her.

"Let's go," Caitlin nearly jumped out of her chair, not seeing the moment they were out of the building.

~ 0 ~

It was never a good feeling to come home and hear strange noises from your bedroom. The only thing that she was thankful for was that her son was not with her at the moment. Balling a fist and creating a sphere of purple mass, she started for the hallway. The noises were coming from her bedroom and she wasn't going to waste a minute bringing the intruder down.

 _You picked the wrong house to rob_ , she thought. She kicked the door open and got ready to fight. However, she was met with a completely different image of her 'intruder'.

A young man with light brown hair stood in front of a dressing table, his back to the owner of the house. "It's so different seeing your mask  _off_ your face," he raised his head to meet her reflection on the mirror. "Why is it again that you prefer to wear it whenever you're with me?" He then raised the purple half-mask for her to see.

"That's not funny!" the woman stalked over and snatched her mask back. "And what the hell do you think you're doing in my house? My son could've been here, you idiot! Or worse, our sister or our dad could have stopped by."

"They wouldn't, I know their schedules," Rayan Palayta turned around with a smug smile, leaning against the dressing table.

"You know everything, don't you?"

"Maybe not everything but I know my sisters. Isn't that right...Maritza?"

Maritza Palayta had always hated when her younger siblings sassed her or used pointless sarcasm on her. "You need to quit playing games like these," she warned, pointing a finger at him. "You're dead to the city so you can't just show up here!"

"And you're getting to be a well known petty thief," Rayan countered.

Maritza walked to her closet and opened it up. "I know how to play the game, alright? I'm laying low for now."

"That would be a wise choice," Rayan nodded, pushing himself off the dressing table. "And you should probably hide that mask better. If I could find it then so can Axel or even Belén."

"Please," Maritza lightly scoffed, her words muffled as she was inside her closet putting away her mask. "I love Belén but right now she's not at her best."

"What's wrong with my sister?" Rayan demanded.

"She's still with the idea that you're not dead."

"Oh Belén," Rayan sighed. "I love her and I miss her so much but...she can't know about me. She can't know about either of us. If she...had turned like us...then things would be different."

"But the fact is that she's not," Maritza left it clear as she closed her closet doors. She turned around, looking firm. "And for that reason she can't know anything about us. All she should worry about is finishing college and focusing on her job. You don't go near her."

"I know that," Rayan argued. "It kills me but I know it's what's best."

"Now are you going to tell me the reason for your little visit?"

"Nostalgia, for the most part," Rayan admitted, truly missing his old life. But he knew that he couldn't go back anymore - he didn't want to. After everything he'd been forced to do by the gang of robbers he'd been kidnapped by, he didn't think he could face his family anymore. Plus, he had a score to settle with the culprit of all his misfortunes in the past months. "But I also think that I've found someone who could be like us."

Maritza studied her younger brother for a moment. "Eugh," she gagged, "How on Earth could you find some woman to still..." she shivered and Rayan laughed.

"I was making a run for food and we crossed paths," he shrugged. "Her name - well, what she goes by when she's out - is Pixel."

"Great, and?"

"I'm staying at her place now but the warehouse is still where we can operate freely."

Maritza rolled her eyes. "Okay, so while you came to give me that spectacular news, I have actually got something you might like."

"Let me hear it."

"Word has it that there's a new freak out there with incredible powers."

"Is it the one that controls gas?" Rayan asked, startling Maritza with the knowledge. "Sorry, I hacked into the records of the CCPD. It's fairly obvious judging by the poison evidence from the crime scene."

"Right," Maritza made a face. "Never mind that. So, you think I should reach him?"

"I don't like him," Rayan declared, confusing her more. "He's a right criminal and we don't need that in here."

Maritza scoffed loudly. "And what exactly are we, then? I've robbed countless stores and you? You slaughtered an entire band of criminals."

"We are  _sophisticated_ , and we have only one goal. I don't want petty criminals that I can't control."

"But he-"

"I said no," Rayan shot her down again, and this time warned her to stay quiet. "Let him be. Just...keep an eye on our family. You know the drill. If you need me, you know how to find me."

"Right, the warehouse or your new little girlfriend's place?" Maritza stopped him by the bedroom door.

"I'll send you the address," Rayan assured and continued on his way out.

Maritza sighed deeply after he was gone. She looked at herself in the mirror and could no longer recognize herself. She didn't like who she was becoming but she felt like it was too late to do anything about it. Star Labs made her that way, and they would pay soon enough.

~ 0 ~

Back at the CCPD, Barry and Caitlin were patiently waiting in his lab for the results of an exam. Barry was sat at his computer desk, fiddling with a DNA model in his hands while Caitlin stood on the other side by the printer.

"Can I ask you something that you don't have to answer?" Barry finally gathered the courage to ask.

"My least favorite kind of question," Caitlin nervously smiled. "Shoot."

Barry put down the DNA model on his desk. "Ronnie. What was he like? You just never talk about him that much."

Caitlin looked down a minute, her nervous smile fading and exchanging for a split peaceful expression. "We met when we were working on the particle accelerator. He was the structural engineer. He liked to joke that he was basically a very high-priced plumber. We were very different. You might have noticed I can be a bit... Guarded." Barry made an innocent look, something that didn't go pass Caitlin. "Ronnie knew how to make me laugh. He used to say we were like fire and ice. He wasn't supposed to be there that night. He was just there for me. If he hadn't…"

The printer then beeped, signaling the results were ready. Caitlin nabbed the paper and took it over to the desk, reading it simultaneously. "This says that there was no residue of gas in the tissue, poisonous or otherwise."

"It must have evaporated," Barry assumed. "We'll need to get a fresh sample."

Caitlin's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she read more. "Wait, this can't be right," she put the paper down on the desk for Barry to see. "This says that there are two distinct strands of DNA inside the tissue. How did someone else's DNA get inside the victim's lungs?"

After a moment, Barry decided to configure the remnants of the discovered DNA in the computer. "I don't understand," he frowned. "There's no DNA match in the database.

Caitlin was still looking at the results, pretty much lost. "I don't understand. Why would a chemical attack leave behind another person's DNA inside the victim?"

Barry got to thinking and then offered, "What if the meta-human we're looking for doesn't control gas? What if he  _becomes_  it?"

"Ooh," Caitlin's mouth formed a small 'o' at the idea. It certainly made sense. But that would definitely make it a more difficult battle to fight.

And it seemed like fate today was purposely contradicting her. The radio Barry had set on the desk for the police station went off.

_'All available units, we have a report of a toxic gas attack in the central city shopping mall.'_

Without a second thought, Barry dashed out of his chair and ran for the locker he had inside the room. Seeing what he intended on doing, Caitlin rushed after him.

"Barry, don't," she tried. "We don't know enough about what we're facing yet. It's not safe."

But Barry's mind was set on the mall once he remembered an earlier conversation he had. He turned around, a frantic look on his face. "Caitlin, I  _have_  to go. Someone important is there, alright?"

"But-" Caitlin tried again but was cut off when Barry ran out of the lab. "Barry!" she called after him, though in vain.

~ 0 ~

Holding several shopping bags in her hands, Belén contently walked in the mall ready to head to class. But when she made a turn that overlooked the center of the mall, specifically, the elevator coming down to her floor, she abruptly stopped and shrieked without thinking. The glass elevator displayed a horrific sight consisting of a woman relentlessly pounding on the wall for help while a musty, green mist covered the entire square.

Belén's shriek made the rest of the customers look on to the sight, and thus provoked alarm throughout the rest of the mall. Belén looked at her hands, flexing them for a moment as she saw something green on her skin. "No, go away," she whispered and looked back at the elevator. The woman was crying out for help but of course no one could. Belén knew that if she proposed herself, she could probably help a little.  _What if I just make a bigger mess out of it?_ she thought.  _What if I hurt her instead of helping?_

Belén decided she needed to help the woman. She was the only one in the building after all. She dropped her bags and dashed for the elevator that was arriving on the floor level.

"Stay back!" she ordered the crowd forming by the elevator doors. "I said get back!" as soon as the doors slid open, the green mist flew out and headed away. Determined, Belén ran after it. "Hey!" she shouted, though she wondered if the gas actually had a mind to talk to. She barely grazed the doorknob of the door the gas had gone through when she felt a powerful wind and suddenly found herself by the rail overlooking the center of the mall. It took a moment to realize she had been carried by the Red Streak. "Dammit," she balled her fist and looked towards the crowd of people. She hurried back then, pushing her way through till she stood at the front. She sucked in a breath at the sight of the dead woman sprawled on the floor. Her eyes watered up, her mouth unable to close. She'd taken too long to decide and now someone was dead.

~ 0 ~

If Barry was afraid before arriving at the mall, he was now  _furious_  that the metahuman nearly had a face off with Belén. Thankfully he managed to get there on time and speed Belén away before the metahuman could attack.

"Why did you kill that woman?" he caught the metahuman in a lonesome hallway of the mall.

The metahuman, a middle-aged man with no hair and barely eyebrows, turned around. "She deserved to die. Now go run away. I still have one more name on my list. Don't make me add you to it."

But Barry wasn't going to let him get away with the newest murder. He sped towards him, attempting to punch him with no avail. The man retaliated by releasing poisonous gas that quickly invaded Barry's lungs. He took his escape swiftly after that, leaving Barry to suffocate.

~ 0 ~

At Star Labs, Dr. Wells and Cisco were trying to make contact with Barry through the intercom on the desk. All of a sudden, they had lost contact with Barry.

"Barry. Barry, can you hear me?" Wells repeatedly attempted to get a response from Barry, growing more concerned by the mark of the vitals on the computer screens.

"His vitals are weak, but he's alive, Dr. Wells," Cisco pointed out. "I'm sure he's fine."

But as soon as the words left Cisco's mouth, Barry sped into the room, collapsing against the desk between the two humans. "I can't breathe!" he wheezed out the words.

"He needs oxygen!" Wells quickly ordered. "Get the crash cart!" he ordered from Cisco, who jumped out of his chair to get it done.

Barry was then placed on the hospital-like bed in one of the side rooms. Caitlin, who had taken off from the CCPD the moment Barry ran out, arrived in time to assist. The top part of Barry's suit had been open up to his bare chest, and when he saw Caitlin he quickly called to her.

"Cut me open! The poison's still in me!"

"He brought us a sample," Wells motioned to Caitlin to get on the job. "Caitlin, we need to do a pulmonary biopsy, extract an active portion of that gas."

Anxiously, Caitlin looked to Barry. "I can't give you any anesthetic. Your metabolism will burn right through it."

"I heal quick, remember? Do it."

With a sigh, Caitlin glanced at Cisco. "Cisco, give me the syringe. This is gonna hurt a lot," she warned Barry afterwards.

Cisco retrieved the syringe and prepared the needle for her. "It's a small needle," he spoke to Barry, "You probably won't even feel it."

Caitlin rolled her eyes and snatched the syringe from him, clarifying, "You're definitely going to feel it." She stabbed Barry on the chest with it, causing the metahuman to violently gasp before falling unconscious on the bed.

~ 0 ~

"This wasn't funny, Annah-Belén!" Nina angrily scolded her friend after hearing what Belén nearly did at the mall.

"You're going to use my whole name when you're mad with me too?" Belén looked up from the chair of Nina's kitchen, feeling like a child while Nina paced back and forth beside the table.

"Shut up!" came the snappy response from Nina. "This is serious! You could have died back there doing something stupid!"

"It wasn't stupid," Belén meekly argued, her hands fiddling over the table. "I saw the woman pleading for help and I...I had to try to do something."

"With what!?" Nina frantically turned to her friend. "You've got nothing to defend yourself with!"

Belén stared hard at her friend. "You know that's not true."

Nina released a large sigh, rubbing her forehead. "Fine," she gave in, "But you also know you're not in control. That gas thing-"

"He's a man," Belén corrected.

"Fine, the man, is clearly in control of his abilities. What the hell would you have done if he tried attacking you?" Belén had no answer and looked away from Nina. Nina shook her head. "Thank God the Red Streak appeared and got you out of there."

At the mention of the Red Streak, Belén crookedly smiled. "He saved me…"

"But don't expect him to be there every time you have a stupid idea," Nina warned her, not that Belén really paid attention.

"Nina, do you think the Red Streak feels guilty when he lets people die?"

"What?" Nina frowned at the change of topics.

Belén returned her gaze to her friend, allowing Nina to see a different expression on the blonde's face. "That woman that got murdered today - if I had been in control of my abilities and if I had made the decision quicker then I could have maybe done something to help her. But I didn't. I  _hesitated_ and she paid the price."

"No, Belén, please don't tell me you actually feel responsible for what happened to this woman," Nina shook her head again.

"But how could I not?" Belén got up from her chair. "I was right there, Nina! Right there!" her voice broke down as the feelings of guilt and despair settled over her. "And I...I couldn't help her."

Nina sighed and came to hug Belén. "You can't feel guilty about something that wasn't your fault. This guy had the plan calculated perfectly. Not even the Streak got there in time."

"But still…" Belén pulled away, her eyes shiny from looming tears, "...maybe if I had control...I-I could have helped in some way. The Streak may have not gotten there in time...but  _I_  was there. And I should have been able to do something."

"No - Belén!" Nina called as her friend hurried out of the apartment. "Belén!"

~ 0 ~

When Barry woke up, he found the cortex room empty save for himself and Caitlin. The brunette was sitting beside him, more or less scolding him already with a sharp, silent look. Barry sighed and tilted his head away from her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Mhm."

"I had to get to the mall fast, alright?" he continued, but Caitlin still didn't speak. "There was a metahuman murderer on the loose, in the mall, where Belén was-"

"Belén was there?" Caitlin cut him off, suddenly curious of the matter.

Barry nodded, slowly turning his head in her direction. "I panicked."

Caitlin put two and two together before dimly smirking. "Wasn't she also the reason why you delayed coming to Star Labs earlier?"

Barry rolled his eyes, assuming where she was headed with the conversation. "Iris mentioned she wasn't feeling well, and, well...she hasn't really been around so I...wanted to go see if she was okay."

"Mhm," Caitlin pursed her lips together, "So that's two times today that you practically blew us off for Bells."

"It's not like that, Caitlin," Barry earnestly said. "I feel incredibly guilty as it is for keeping all this a secret from her - and Iris. The least I can do is keep her safe and be a friend."

Caitlin softly smiled. "Well, you are definitely being a wonderful friend for Bells. I think after everything that's what she needs most."

"Well, I don't know how I'm doing with the 'friend' part considering I keep lying to her every time we meet as the 'Streak'," Barry sighed, closing his eyes for a minute.

"You could just tell her you know," Caitlin reminded him no one was against the idea of Belén knowing the truth behind 'the Streak'. Hell, even Joe didn't mind.

"It's too late for that," Barry made a disappointed face. "I volunteered as two separate people to help her with her brother's case. Can you imagine how she would react if I told her that it's been  _me_  all along?"

Caitlin could see the complexity of the situation and sighed. "Alright, so it's not that easy."

"Yeah…"

Caitlin stared at him in a silent minute before saying, "If you want...I could talk to her?" At the suggestion, Barry hastily turned his head in her direction. "I know it wouldn't be the same but...I'm still a friend and I could definitely explain the reasons why we kept all this a secret from her."

Barry softly smiled. "You're a very good friend, Caitlin. But I think, if she's going to hear it from someone, it should be me." Caitlin nodded, not pushing after that. "And you know what, because you had this idea of helping me...I'm going to help  _you_."

Caitlin's eyebrows knitted together, confused. "H-how?"

Barry just smiled as he sat upright, his body's quick healing already making a noticeable change in him.

~ 0 ~

With a couple of her friends, Belén made way for her class down the bright, green field of her school campus. However, midway through the field Belén began getting the sensation she was being watched from afar. She didn't even realize she had stopped walking until one of her friends, Hilary, came back for her.

"Hey, Belén, what's up with you?" the ginger haired woman asked.

Belén was looking to her right, scanning the area full of students doing their respective things. "I...don't know," she answered truthfully. "I feel like I'm...being...watched or something."

"Watched?" Hilary followed in the direction Belén was staring at, but due to the sun going down it was harder to identify any potential creep (or perhaps admirer she thought) staring back at them. "I don't see anything - you're just imagining. We're going to be late, now let's go!" she grabbed Belén's arm and pulled her after their other friends.

A couple seconds later, a tall figure stepped out from behind a tree, their eyes indeed watching after Belén.

~ 0 ~

Back in the cortex room, after Barry took Caitlin to the Particle Accelerator so that she would finally conquer any remnant feelings from the accident, Dr. Wells and Cisco called them back up to share the newest information over their metahuman.

"We have identified the toxin," Wells was saying as Cisco pulled up a 3D model across them.

Barry went to have a closer look. "Hydrogen cyanide?" he frowned, glancing back at the others.

"What's interesting is what's mixed in with the cyanide... A sedative."

"Of course," Barry quickly realized and turned to Caitlin who stood by the desk. "The night of the explosion, find out if anyone was executed."

"Why?" the brunette made a face of confusion.

"That sedative is given to criminals on death row before they go to the gas chamber and breathe in hydrogen cyanide."

"That's right," Wells gave an impressed look to Barry while Caitlin got to work.

It didn't take her long to find what they were looking for. "There was someone executed. Kyle Nimbus." She pulled up the profile and displayed it as another hologram for all to see.

"That's him," Barry immediately recognized the man that nearly poisoned him.

"He was a hit man for the Darbinyan crime family. They turned on him and testified. Judge Theresa Howard was the judge at his trial. She sentenced him to death."

"He must have been affected by the explosion while he was being gassed," Cisco concluded based on the evident facts.

"Records indicate the execution was completed," Caitlin read from the bottom of the page.

"That's why there wasn't a match," Barry shook his head. "The DNA database only has records of the  _living_. Right. He said there was one more person on his list. Check the arrest record. Who caught him? That could be his next attack."

Caitlin did just that and looked horrified after seeing the information. "Barry, the lead detective…" Barry glanced at her, waiting for her to finish. "...it's Joe."

Barry nearly felt his speedy heart stop then.

It was planned minutes later to get ahold of Joe and warn him of the dangers looming over him. In the meantime, others would try and find the location of the metahuman before he reached Joe. So when Barry couldn't find Joe, it became all that more frustrating and inevitable panic happened. He had to turn in the direction of his partner, Eddie, and while the blonde detective was initially reluctant to reveal Joe's location, he did…

At which point Barry nearly had another heart attack.

~ 0 ~

Henry Allen had no idea what the hell was going on. One minute he was talking to Joe - apparently now Joe believed that he didn't kill his wife - and the next a strange man appeared, turned into gas and poisoned Joe with it. It all seemed straight out of a movie, but unfortunately this was real life and Joe was dying with no one helping him. But suddenly, a red streak came into the room, dressed in a red suit with a mask.

Barry used a syringe to heal Joe from the poison, but since that was the only one he had from Star Labs he was basically on his own going up against Nimbus. While Joe recuperated, Barry glanced at his father who remained behind the glass barring the visitor and prisoner sides. He made his face vibrate to completely conceal his face from Henry.

Suddenly, Barry felt a hand on his arm and looked down to see Joe coming back. "Go get him," he urged Barry.

Knowing he would be fine then, Barry sped out of the room to catch up with Nimbus. The man was halfway down the road from the prison, walking calmly when Barry found him.

"So you've come to finish what the gas chamber couldn't?" Nimbus turned around to face Barry, looking heavily confident.

"You're going somewhere you can't hurt anyone ever again," Barry promised him now that the new metahuman prison was finished.

"Wrong," Nimbus hissed as he released the poisonous gas from his hands.

"You need to stay away from him, Barry. Do not breathe him in," Wells warned Barry through the earpiece of his suit.

Barry followed the warning and still tried to fight Nimbus as best as possible. But every punch he threw was evaded by a quick shift into gas on Nimbus' part. It was impossible to touch the man.

"I'm not sure how that helps me, guys," Barry panted after dozens of failed attempts.

"You can't fight him, Barry. Just keep him coming at you," Caitlin suggested.

"That should sap his strength. Gas is the least stable form of matter," Wells added. "This meta-human will not be able to stay in his mist form for long. His particles will need to reform."

Barry sucked in a big breath before going back in and fighting. He simply did what he done before, attempt to punch Nimbus which would force the metahuman to constantly shift to gas. Eventually, Nimbus became weary with the lack of power and in one of those was unable to change into gas. Barry snatched the opportunity and punched Nimbus square across the face.

"We  _win_ ," Barry smirked at the unconscious metahuman on the grass.

~ 0 ~

After Nimbus had been placed 'under arrest' and imprisoned in his new, small-confined cell, the three Star Labs employees gazed at the prisoner with certain awe.

Caitlin winced each time Nimbus pounded on the glass of his cell. "Will it hold?" she had to ask Dr. Wells and Cisco beside her.

Cisco smirked, laughing to himself. "The barrier is powered by an 8.3 Tesla superconducting electromagnet, which is about 100,000 times the strength of earth's magnetic field."

Seeing Caitlin's overwhelmed face, Wells translated. "In other words, yes."

Caitlin sighed and looked at Nimbus again. "I think he's mad."

Now it was Well's turn to smirk as he pressed a button on the wall that began sealing the new prison. "Well, good night."

"So we're just supposed to get used to working above a makeshift prison housing evil people with superpowers," Caitlin reviewed as they made way out of the pipeline.

"You'd be surprised what you can get used to, Caitlin," Wells said rather blankly as he left the room.

"Caitlin," Cisco meekly called for the brunette afterwards. "Could I talk to you for a second?"

She nodded. "What's up?"

"It's about the night that Ronnie died. I…"

Caitlin sighed. "Look, Cisco, I'm okay. I thought coming down here would undo me, but thinking about what Ronnie did to protect us... It just made me love him more." Cisco lightly smiled at her. "Come on. I need ice cream or a drink. Let's see which one we hit first."

~ 0 ~

Late at night, the 'Red Streak' awaited in the Central City park, just beside the fountain. When Belén feebly appeared, she was a little bemused to find him already there.

"Am I late?" she had to ask out loud in case she made the mistake.

"No, I'm early," Barry replied and gazed at her in silence. She looked slightly lost, and tired - very tired.

Belén pursed her lips, coming to a stop a couple feet from him. She glanced down to her brother's altar, where a pin in the shape of an azalea had been pinned earlier in the night. "You put the flower pin," she said quietly, having assumed that the moment she saw it after coming out of classes.

"I did," Barry acknowledged.

"How did you know it was my favorite flower?" Belén curiously looked back to him.

"Believe it or not, I have read some of your work," Barry smiled.

Belén blushed. "You read my work?"

"I like to know who I'm dealing with," Barry shrugged. "Plus, you're a good writer."

"And you're a good hero," Belén remarked, slowly growing quiet again.

Barry noticed this fast and sighed. "You missed our previous meetings, and I notice you look a bit...pale," Belén gulped but let him continue, "And the simple quietness in your usual speedy talk is an outright red alert to me. Is something wrong?"

Belén shakily breathed out, her mind thinking back to today's event at the mall. "You know at the mall when that guy-"

"Oh," Barry frowned, nearly forgetting his planned scolding for her, "I meant to also tell you that you better not go endangering yourself like today." Belén sighed, half expecting something like that from him. "When I go out and save people, I don't really want to know that  _you're_  the one in need of saving."

"I just wanted to help," Belén nearly broke down into a sob, startling Barry instantly. "I saw the woman was dying in the elevator and I ran to help, but...but I was too late because I took to long to decide. I-I didn't think about being qu-quick...but then you showed up and you...you took me away and I...I saw the woman dead and I thought...I think...it's partially my f-fault because I didn't do anything t-to h-help-"

"Hey-" Barry reached out to calm her down but instead the woman threw her arms around him for a hug. For a good minute or so, Barry stood there without a clue of what to do. The ombre-blonde lightly shook as she sniffled, but her arms clung around him like her life depended on it.

She was clearly affected by what she saw at the mall, and it reminded Barry of the people he couldn't save from past encounters with metahumans. The inevitable feel of guilt nabbed at his mind, forcing him to be ashamed of himself.  _'Why didn't you save them?_ ' he heard in his mind constantly. It was a hard feeling to shake off, and without help from anyone, perhaps it would never go away. He had Joe, Caitlin, Cisco and Dr. Wells...but Belén? Who exactly could she go to in this case? Her father would probably have lost it knowing his daughter had been that close to danger. Iris was certainly not in the eligible case either. Nina, perhaps? But even then, it wouldn't be the same. He saved people - this time he just wouldn't be physically saving someone.

"Bells," he said her nickname without thinking, and pulled away slightly to face the blonde. For safety measures, his face blurred and he took a couple steps back.

"You're going to call me that too?" her raspy voice asked him.

"U-uh," Barry blinked, "Y-yes. Yes, if...if that's okay?"

Belén dimly smiled, nodding her head. "Why not, my friends do, and...I think you're a friend too."

"I am," Barry quickly nodded and resumed to what he was planning on saying first. "As a friend, I don't want you thinking that you had a in hand in this murder. The man who killed her was a prisoner she sentenced to execution." Belén gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "He had her in his hit list and he was going to come after her no matter who stood in the way. She didn't deserve to die, but it wasn't your fault it happened."

"H-how did you make that guilty feeling go away, then?"

"Honestly, it's still there, sometimes. I think, 'What the hell were you doing? You didn't save them'. But then at other times I remember that, no matter how quick I am, I'm still only human. I won't always be able to save everyone but I will always  _try_  to save them."

Belén bit her lip, seemingly thinking. "So…"

"That does not mean I want you out there playing hero," Barry quickly cut in, making her smile. "I mean it Belén."

"Okay," Belén nodded, agreeing to the term. "I can't be a hero anyways. I don't think I'd make a good one."

"I think you would be fantastic," Barry declared much to her amusement. "But, for now, focus on your journalism."

"A-and my brother's case," Belén felt the need to remind, in case he forgot in the meantime she had been under.

Barry smiled, nodding. "Of course."

"I'm sorry about missing our previous meetings. I...I was a little sick," she briefly explained. "But I'm better now."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"Alright," Barry let the subject go, seeing she did appear to be better than before. Perhaps what she needed all along was to release her locked up feelings. "How about we call it a night and I take you home?"

Belén agreed with no hint of disappointment. She felt tired from today, and partly from her 'special condition'. She allowed Barry to take her home where she would hopefully get some needed rest.


	5. Caught Up In You

"Belén, sweetheart?" David Palayta's voice rang from the living room. Belén, who was sitting at the kitchen table working (or trying to at the very least) on some homework, looked up from her laptop just as her father walked into the room. "I'm going to be working probably all night again. Will you be alright?"

"Yes, Dad, don't worry," Belén smiled as she received a kiss over her head. "I've got tons of work to do myself."

"Oh? Don't tell me you're still doing homework?" David stopped by the counter and grabbed a glass, moving to fill it with water.

"Have I mentioned my hate for biology?" Belén rested her cheek on her hand. "It's completely useless!"

David gave her a sideways glance, clearly taking offense to the statement. Belén shyly smiled and straightened in her chair. "You know, your new friends would be highly upset with that."

"Iris knows and she agrees. Caitlin already knows I hate this stupid subject," Belén began listing off with her fingers, "And then Cisco lets me basically say whatever the hell I want just as long as I listen to his jokes."

"And what about Barry?"

"Well...he does forensics...that has to do with biology?" Belén genuinely blinked in surprise at the new piece of information. "I just thought he was super smart."

"Oh Annah-Belén, where did I go wrong with you?" David walked back to the table, pressing another kiss to his daughter's head.

"Absolutely nowhere," Belén looked up with a wide grin. "It's just not my thing, Dad. I like to write and dance, and...biology is stupid."

"You need to get yourself a tutor," David pointed, heading for the doors but stopping to get his jacket from the hangar.

"And drag some poor innocent soul into this?" Belén sarcastically laughed. "I'm not evil, Dad."

"No, but you will fail and then you'll have a villainous father to deal with," David warned and opened the door. "So study hard. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," Belén waved and watched her father walk out the place. She waited until she heard the car start and drive off before standing up. "I'll work hard alright…" she closed her laptop and and began gathering her books, "...I'll work hard to see the Streak tonight on time," she smirked to herself and hurried off to get a quick change of clothes.

~ 0 ~

One hour later, she and the Streak were in their lonesome park discussing Rayan's case. Barry was in the middle of sharing a new piece of information he'd learned that day when he realized that Belén was staring at him for no reason.

"Bells?" his modulated voice unexpectedly pulled her out from her trance-like state.

Belén rapidly blinked and felt her face warm up from embarrassment. "I'm...I'm so sorry, what was that?"

She hadn't planned on spacing out. There were just times when she tried focusing really hard on his face in order to attempt to find out his true identity. But there were other times when she just found him incredibly...attractive... and she thought that was ridiculous because most of the time when they were close he would purposely hide his face with that speedy trick that blurred his features. She supposed it was just one of those fan crushes someone would get on their favorite superhero. Who wouldn't get them? Half the students in her college had one on the Red Streak.

"I told you that I went looking through your brother's history of the day he went missing and I saw he was nearby a crime scene."

"Crime scene? What kind?"

"It was a robbery," Barry explained, handing her a manila folder full of the crime information. "The band of thieves are notorious for their work with weapons. Their last robbery was just minutes before your brother went missing."

"Are you saying…" Belén checked a couple of profiles of each of the thieves, "...are you saying they have something to do with Rayan? Like...they took him?"

"It's just a supposition," Barry clarified, but it was enough to fill Belén's eyes with newfound joy. "I mean, in your brother's car accident the only thing they found his belongings but not him. Even the driver of the other car wasn't there."

"So it could have been a set up from those thieves?" Belén concluded. "Oh my God, this is a breakthrough!"

"It's nothing concrete," Barry reiterated. As much as he wanted to give her good news, he needed to make sure that Belén understood nothing was set in stone. They could always get things wrong.

Belén nodded, stuffing the folder into her bag. "Thank you so much. I know I keep repeating myself every time we meet but you really have no idea what this means to me."

Barry chuckled, affirming her statement. "And like always, I say you're welcome and that it's my job."

"But it's not your job," Belén softly said. "You came out of nowhere and you decided that it was your duty to fight for this city. And help unimportant people like me with their personal problems?"

"Now who said you were unimportant?" if Barry's face had been clear, Belén would've been witness to the deep scowl running across his lips.

"I'm just a college girl," Belén said, embarrassed. "What makes me so special?"

"What doesn't make you so special?" countered Barry with a highly amused tone. "I like you, Bells. But you have got to stop belittling yourself."

Belén smiled. "I will try."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Belén raised a hand. "Now, could you give me a lift back home? I couldn't risk taking my brother's car because our neighbor, Mrs. Andrews, has a tendency to 'keep an eye on me' on behalf of my Dad."

"C'mon," Barry motioned he would be picking her up again. She allowed him to take hold of her and speed off towards her home.

He went straight to her backyard, through the side gate, and placed her down beside the big tree. Belén fixed her messy hair and straightened the rest of her clothes. The wind of the speed always messed her appearance up.

"Thanks," she said once she felt presentable again. "As always."

"You're welcome - as always," Barry said, backtracking from her enough to where he felt confident to show his face without blurring it.

Belén had grown accustomed to the trick, and while she wasn't happy with it she let it be for the sake of them having another minute together. "I know it's silly to ask but is there anyone waiting for you at home? I mean, if I had a son that was out at this hour I'd be pretty anxious."

If the darkness hadn't covered most of him, Belén would've seen his sad smile. "I live alone, so...I do as I please."

Belén chuckled and passed a hand through her hair. "Right. But, I mean...there's no, uh, no...no...girlfriend waiting for you?" she felt completely intrusive asking but her mind wouldn't let her rest.

"What?" Barry nervously laughed. "N-no! No...not...no!"

The exchange of awkward laughter filled the air, and had both blushing. Eventually, they calmed and Belén glanced at her kitchen hidden behind the swinging curtains.

"I should go inside. Thanks," she glanced towards Barry, wishing he would just step out of the darkness to see who he was behind that mask.

"Until next time, Belén," Barry waved and sped off.

Belén momentarily closed her eyes from the wind Barry left behind. She took a deep breath and went inside, hoping to do some research...or homework...which one happened to be easiest.

~ 0 ~

It turns out, neither had been easier for Belén. Three days later, Belén heavily sighed as she stepped out of her biology classroom. Her eyes were glued to the ugly red 'F' marked at the top of recent quiz.

"Unbelievable," she cursed herself and stormed down the hallway. If this continued then she would, without a doubt, fail the class.

She abruptly stopped when she felt eyes burning on the back of her head. Turning her head slightly to the right, she scanned her immediate surroundings for any lingering stares. It was a tough decision whether to be disappointed she saw no one staring or relieved that no one was staring.

Slowly, she began to walk again. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

For the past weeks, it had just clung to her.

~ 0 ~

"You're not being smart, that's all I'm saying," Cisco flapped a hand as if to emphasize his words more to Barry. They made a turn for the cortex room. "Sooner or later Belén will figure it out and bam! there will be trouble."

"I'm just helping," Barry grew tired of repeating himself to everyone. Could no one understand it was just his way of repaying Belén for all that she'd done for him while he was in his coma?

" _No_ , you're getting closer to her," Cisco inclined his head, that little smirk making Barry turn away as if he were choosing to look at his suit across. "And sooner or later, it's going to blow up in your face. Now, I like Belén, and I like Barry, and I definitely wouldn't want Belén and Barry to be upset with each other."

Barry shook his head and turned to his friend, leaning on the ledge of the computer desk. "It's not gonna happen."

"Oh yeah?" Cisco arched an eyebrow as he plopped down on the computer chair. "How do you know?"

"Because she's never gonna find out that I'm the 'Red Streak'."

And soon as those words were spoken, they heard Belén's voice from the corridor. "Hello!?"

Barry's eyes widened in moment terror while Cisco leaned back on his chair and enjoyed the view. In a second Barry had sped around the desk and pressed a button that shielded his suit behind a hidden compartment in the wall.

"Still can't believe you made me install that," Cisco muttered to Barry as the meta human took a seat beside him. "And just so that Bells could keep coming in here!"

"Shut up!" was all Barry said in regards to the matter.

Both men exchanged looks when Belén finally came in. "Guys…" her nervous voice pulled them out of their playful bickering. She looked completely pale and scared.

Minutes later, they had her sitting down in one of their chairs by the desk and listened to her apparent problem.

"I think someone's following me. Whenever I'm walking on a street, or even at school, I feel someone is staring at me."

"Well, maybe they think you're cute," Cisco shrugged casually, earning Belén's graceful smile.

"Thanks Cisco," she said sheepishly, knowing he was just trying to make her feel less afraid. "But I think this is more than just a crush. There's this coffee shop I always go to in my campus, and when I felt the stares again, I decided to get smart."

"What did you do?" Barry inquired, heavily interested on who was giving her trouble.

"One of the baristas is cousin to a friend of mine. I asked him if he could take a look around for me and see if there was someone looking at me weirdly."

"And…?"

Belén's eyes watered up fast, her lips pursing together. "There was this guy in a hoodie and...apparently, he only shows up on the days I have classes. He's  _following_ me!"

"Woah, hey," Cisco crouched beside her chair and side hugged her. "It's gonna be alright."

Seeing Belén nearly crying stirred a new feeling inside Barry, and he acted on it without a second thought. He reached for her hand, a fierce look on his face. "No one is going to hurt you, Bells. We'll go to police station and have someone look into it."

"But what am I going to say to them?" Belén laughed bitterly. "That some guy in a hoodie was following me? I don't know what he looks like, Barry."

"But the coffee shop has to have security cameras," Cisco quickly supplied, getting an agreeing nod from Barry. "That's a great start. And if he was at school then those cameras had to capture him too."

Barry gently pulled Belén up to her feet. "I can't go to the station right now, though," Belén informed. "I have to go to Jitters. I got myself a biology tutor online and we're supposed to meet today."

"I'm taking you myself, then," Barry volunteered and had a look that said he wouldn't change his mind.

Belén admitted it did make her feel safer so she didn't put in a word of refusal either. Instead, she turned to Cisco and gave him a hug goodbye.

Cisco kissed her head and smiled when he pulled back. "We'll figure it out, Bells, you'll see."

"Okay," Belén said, but there was barely a true belief in it. She allowed Barry to tug her out of the room afterwards.

~ 0 ~

Waiting for Belén's tutor turned out to be a longer waiting task than either Belén or Barry anticipated. In the beginning, Iris had come by to offer them coffee but both had refused on account of Barry having to leave soon and Belén meeting the tutor. After thirty minutes passed by, Barry caved and went to the counter to order them coffee.

"What exactly are you doing?" Iris inquired curiously after setting two mugs of coffee on the counter. Usually, she would've teased they were on a date or something but seeing the look on Belén's face told her something quite different was up. "You've been here for thirty minutes and you've just...sat…?"

Barry was taking out a twenty from his wallet and briefly glanced over his shoulder to Belén. The ombre-blonde woman was sitting silently with a blank expression, her biology book shut on the side of the table. "She's just going through some stuff," Barry left it at that and handed Iris the twenty.

"What kind of stuff?" Iris arched an eyebrow, moving to the cash register. "Her mom left and even with her brother's case closed she never had  _that_  look on her face. Barry, what's going on?"

"I don't know," Barry shrugged, trying to act like usual. "She doesn't say much-"

"And that's a big red flag," Iris interjected, handing him back his change. "Belén the motor mouth, do you remember?" she inclined her head, hoping her serious look would guilt Barry into telling her.

"I don't know, Iris," Barry raised his hands in surrender then grabbed both mugs and left before Iris could continue. It wasn't like he liked lying to Iris but this was actually not something for him to say. Only Belén could decide who she told and he would respect that.

Belén lightly flinched with the clank noise the mug gave when Barry placed in front of her. She raised her eyes and met a smiling Barry. "I didn't know exactly what you wanted so I went with a latte?" Barry sat down across her.

Belén mumbled a 'thank you' and took the mug. "You don't have to be here, Barry," she said before taking a small sip.

"It makes you feel better," Barry said quite confidently then realized how it came out and sputtered out an apology. "N-n-not that...I m-mean not-t...not like...you know...like, uh…"

Belén watched him struggle to say a complete sentence and eventually had to smile just a little. " _That_  made me feel better."

Barry flushed with embarrassment and opted for a long drink of coffee. And when his throat burned from the hot liquid, he put a hand on his lap and balled it up to keep a loud yelp inside. He was acting like a dork, and not the cute dork that Iris always told him he could be, but a proper idiot dork. He always ended up doing this kind of stuff around Belén and he would like to file a complaint with his mind for it.

"You really don't have to be here, though," Belén repeated herself, unknowingly pulling Barry out of his thoughts. She put her mug down and sighed. "I'm in a public place. If the guy wanted to do something he would wait until I was somewhere completely secluded."

"I don't care, I'm staying until your tutor arrives." Barry checked his watch and saw the time had changed into forty minutes of tardiness from this tutor. "Though with the time…"

"I don't know what's going on," Belén admitted, stumped on her unprofessional tutor's absence.

"Where'd you even get the tutor from?" Barry asked.

"There was this ad slipped into my tennis locker at school today and I just called the number."

_Red alarm_ , thought Barry.

"H-how do you mean 'an ad'?" Barry leaned forwards on the table.

"There's always people looking to make an extra buck around the school, Barry. Our tennis lockers are always full of different ads - cheaper textbooks, supplies, tutors. I got it yesterday and since I failed my test today I figured why not."

"And who answered the call? Did he give you a clear identification?"

"It was a guy, said his name was Alonso. He's a biology major but no, I didn't get all his ID stuff. It's just a tutor and it's from school."

Barry thought about his next words really carefully, wanting to save her from another episode of nervousness. And then he realized: why tell her? Clearly, she hadn't realized this ad was a fake and that it had been a nasty trick by whomever was following her. She was just barely making it.

Instead, he had come up with a better solution.

"Okay, clearly the guy's not coming-"

"Clearly," Belén shook her head.

"But that's okay," Barry went on, broadly smiling. "If you want some extra help with this class, I can do it."

"I  _had_  considered that before," Belén glanced at her textbook. "Actually, my Dad was the one to point out that I do have some very smart friends. After I failed the test I considered asking Caitlin first…"

"I can do it," Barry insisted. "I'm definitely more fun." That last one made her chuckle and made Barry much happier. "I can definitely do it, Bells."

"I mean…" Belén began, closer to agreeing, "...I suppose it would be easier and much more comfortable with someone I already know. How much do you want?"

"What?" Barry laughed.

"Your fee - how much do you want?"

"Bells," Barry continued laughing and unintentionally made her think she'd said something wrong.

"I'm...sorry?"

"Belén, I'm your  _friend_ , I want to help you not  _charge_!"

Belén blinked. "But...but you can't just do it for  _free_. You have things to do, you might as well get something in return."

"You want me to charge you?"

"Yes!"

Barry swayed his head and thought for a minute. "You want a fee? Here's the fee: if you get a B on your next exam you owe me a cup of coffee."

"And what if I get an A?" Belén challenged.

"Then you owe me a good drink."

Belén chuckled and nodded her head in agreement. "Alright. I'll take that deal."

"Great!" Barry couldn't show his full relief at this news and settled for getting up from his chair and going to her side just to hug her.

"You're that happy because you get to tutor me?" Belén yanked away and looked up at him with a face of confusion yet amusement. "You do realize what you just got yourself into, right?"

"C'mon, we can get started right now if you'd like."

"I thought you said we should go to the station for my little problem remember?" Belén sighed. "Since my tutor is a no-show I guess we can do that."

"Right," Barry nodded and helped her out of her seat. "Let's go do that and then we can go wherever you want to study."

Belén agreed and grabbed her things to leave. As the two left Jitters they didn't notice the man in a gray hoodie following them from across the street. His eyes were trained on the ombre-blonde, eyes briefly flickering to Barry.

~ 0 ~

Cisco hurried into the cortex room with a mug in hand, nearly spilling its contents as he fumbled to pick up his cellphone left behind on the desk. "Yello!?"

"Cisco," came Barry's voice on the other line, "I need a favor."

"What is it?" Cisco sat down on a chair and pulled his feet up to the desk.

"See if you can tap into Belén's college campus - especially the coffee place - and try get anything on that hoodie guy."

The request surprised Cisco but he couldn't himself denying a favor that would benefit Belén. "Okay…" he said slowly, straightening up on his chair. "I thought you were taking her to the station-"

"Yeah, we're here and Belén is talking to Joe. But listen, this is personal. I want to find this guy myself."

"The Red Streak is on the case," Cisco smirked, already on board without proper asking. "I like it."

"So can you do it? I'll send you anything else Belén leaves with Joe."

"Of course, leave it to me!" Cisco hung up, put his phone down and cracked his fingers to get to work.

~ 0 ~

There was an incessant knocking on an apartment door, and soon enough came the owner of said apartment, mad as hell. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" the petite blonde stalked up to the door and opened it up. "What the hell do you - HEY!"

Plasticine strode into the apartment without so much of a care for the blonde. "Rayan? RAYAN!" she called.

"Hey! You want to shout a little louder? I don't think the next block hear yah!" the blonde snapped behind Plasticine, shutting the door.

Plasticine paid her no attention. "Rayan! Come out! You said to be here!"

Rayan emerged from the hallway with a laptop in his arms. "Maritza, do we really have to come here all dressed up? It's not like Angie doesn't already know who you are."

Maritza pulled her mask off her face and threw a glare at Angie. "Well, if we're on the topic of collecting teammates - I found a new one."

"Really?" Rayan mused at the idea. "Who is it?"

"A young man, about your age and...this one here," Rayan gestured to Angie. "Has some trouble with Harrison Wells & STAR Labs. I figured he might have pretty good motivation."

"Where is he?"

"Right at home where I told him I'd get him if you wanted."

"We'll talk about it later, then. Right now, I want you to take care of something. It's about our sister - she's been looking for me."

Maritza made a face, clearly taken aback. "What? N-no, Belén is moving on from your 'death' and-"

Angie snorted and walked over. "Unlikely considering we tracked the searches to her IP address. I didn't take your sister to be Sherlock Holmes."

"No, this has to be a mistake," Maritza rubbed her temples.

"It's  _not_ ," Rayan declared, putting down the laptop on the coffee table. "And we both know that we can't have Belén looking into my case anymore."

"So then what do we do?"

Angie smirked. "Well I proposed we give your baby sis a little scare."

Maritza dropped her hands from her face, letting her mask fall in the process. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing serious," Angie waved her off. "Just a little warning to make sure she stops. If she's got no powers then we wouldn't even have to do much to scare the living crap out of her."

Maritza glanced at Rayan to see what he thought. The younger man gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I love my sister, but she needs to be stopped. You just can't hurt her, that's all."

"Me? You want me to go and face our sister? Are you serious?"

"You'd be wearing a mask," Rayan pointed out. "Plus, you can take Angie with you."

"I can do it on my own if you'd like," Angie offered kindly, but Maritza would rather die than let her sister face off some woman who could probably care less.

"You have to take her laptop and everything," Rayan told them both. "We can let her go back to searching."

"I can take things from the house no problem," Maritza agreed.

"Then I can take Belén," Angie raised a finger.

"You'll be going with who I have trusted with our secret," Maritza corrected, glancing to Rayan. "The new recruit? I do trust him."

"Fine. Then get to it," Rayan said. "Plan it well."

~ 0 ~

Some time later, Belén and Barry relocated to Belén's home to begin on that tutoring. Without fully realizing it, Barry had gotten Belén to forget about ever visiting the police station and making that report on her stalker. However, it wasn't because of a good reason.

"So the process of replication is basically when DNA makes a copy itself - it's like the basic point for inheritance. When replication happens, the strands separate and then each of them serve as templates for the production of its counterpart. That's known as semi-conservative replication. Afterwards Cellular proofreading happens which is just like an error-checking process to make sure everything was replicated perfectly."

Belén had an arm resting on the edge of her kitchen table, her cheek placed on her palm. Her eyes were blinking rapidly while Barry explained. "No, sorry, I lost you when you started speaking Chinese."

"I wasn't speaking Chinese…" Barry said slowly, figuring perhaps he has entered a rapid rambling state.

"Oh, I beg to differ," Belén straightened up.

"O-okay, tell me where you got lost?"

"Easy-" Belén gave a nod, "-as soon as your mouth opened up."

Barry sent an unamused look at her. "Bells…"

"I'm sorry! I'm just stupid at this science stuff, okay?" Belén laughed to herself and glanced at her open biology textbook. "I mean, replication? Transcription? What the hell is all this stuff?"

"Very important stuff," Barry assured her.

"It's  _boring_  stuff," Belén countered. "Talk to me about journalism stuff. The words, the people, me being out there, that's important. Or about dancing steps. Not this crummy stuff I won't ever use."

Before Barry could prove this was all truly important, the front door opened and Belén's father walked in. "Belén?"

"Over here, Dad," Belén waved her hand as she skimmed another page of this replication stuff.

"What's going on here?" David eyed the table full of school work on his way to the fridge.

"I got myself a tutor," Belén gestured to Barry beside her.

"Well it was about time," David walked back to them with a bottle of Gatorade in hand. "Barry, was it?"

"Yes," Barry rose up from his chair to shake hands with the man. "Nice to meet you."

"So, how's she doing?"

"Umm…" the look on Barry's face said it all.

"Belén, pay attention," her father scolded her like she was doing it all on purpose.

"What!? Seriously!? I don't plan this you know!" she groaned. "I'm actually trying my best but this is all completely ridiculous with all these terms and different processes and crazy pictures and-"

"Stop rambling and listen," David smiled and looked at Barry almost sympathetically. "Good luck, Barry."

"Dad!" Belén called after him, mortified at such a lack of belief in her. Barry was laughing beside her and instigated a very offended "Quit laughing at me!" from her.

"Okay, okay, okay," Barry tried sobering up fast and scooted his chair closer to hers, "Let's try this again, alright?" Belén nodded and did her best to pay attention.

But then a cellphone went off.

"Sorry," Barry made a face as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. "It's Joe," he said right before answering.

Belén smiled and got up to give them some privacy. She went for the kitchen intending on finding a snack somewhere. Between her schoolwork and research, she hadn't paid much attention to the house needs.

"Bells, I'm sorry, but I have to go," Barry apologized and stood up. "There's been a robbery and…"

"It's alright," Belén waved it off and turned around. "We can continue tomorrow if you'd like - or  _can_."

"Definitely," Barry said quickly.

Belén's smile faltered when everything spun in front of her.

"Bells!" Barry ran over to her just as she slumped forwards, catching her. "What is it? What's wrong!?"

Belén cursed her body's imprudence and tried to get through the moment as fast as possible. "I'm-I'm fine…" she swallowed hard.

She was not fine.

Barry leaned her against the counter and rushed to get her a glass of water. "Don't lie to me, Belén. This isn't the first time it's happened, remember?"

Belén took the glass from him and drank a little. "And during that time I was having trouble with my classes...remember? It's just burn out, nothing more." Barry didn't look the least bit convinced. "Don't you have a case to go to?" Belén asked impatiently, putting down her glass on the counter.

Barry only left the conversation because Joe really was waiting for him to arrive and take samples from the crime scene. "Please, just...get some rest?"

"I can do that," Belén nodded calmly, the light smile on her lips would've convinced anyone who didn't know her. But, Barry knew her much more than she thought.

The moment he was out on the street, he dialed a number on his phone.

"Hello?" Iris chirped.

"Iris, I need a favor," Barry wondered just how many times he was going to use that line on behalf of Belén...but that was going to be for another moment.

"Sure, what do you need?"

Barry glanced back at Belén's house, and explained to Iris.

~ 0 ~

That same night, much later, Belén was pulled out of her research when someone knocked on the door - and much too excitedly she added silently.

"Hiiii!" Iris exclaimed happily, waving a hand while the other held a duffel bag.

Belén made a face. "Iris? What are you doing here?"

"I'm sleeping over - random girls' night!"

"Wh-what?" Belén barely got to say when Iris walked right in.

"Hello, Mr. Palayta," Iris greeted Belén's father from the kitchen.

"Hi Iris," David gave a warm smile in return. "What brings you here?"

"There's just sooo many things I want to talk about with Bells and I figured since my Dad is working late with Eddie I could maybe sleep over?" Iris put her hands together with that wide smile that no one could resist.

David just chuckled and gave his approving nod. "You're always welcomed here, Iris."

"Oh, thank you!" Iris cheered and turned back for Belén who was still registering the fact she had a new guest and thus her ongoing research would be put on hold. "C'mon, Bells!" She grabbed her duffel bag and took her friend upstairs.

Though Belén was mildly upset with Iris' surprise visit, she soon left the idea of sending her back home using a lame excuse. The truth was she missed normal friendship sleepovers. Everything as of late had become so entangled Belén barely had time to breath.

Iris was a reminder that she was indeed normal, and that she deserved more normal moments.

Like painting each other's nails.

"Iris, I don't want that color," Belén was scrunching her face at the pastel turquoise nail polish Iris was opening up.

"It goes great with you," was Iris' main defense as she set down the nail polish on Belén's nightstand and shuffled on the bed to begin.

"Oh, Iris," Belén sighed but gave in without another word. She let Iris take her right hand and watched her delicately paint over her thumb's nail.

"Soo...you want to explain why Barry all of a sudden didn't want to leave your side today?" Iris discreetly raised her eyes up to her friend, who was already looking nervous.

She was no fool, even if Barry didn't tell her why he wanted - no, sorry, why he  _believed_  it would be a good idea for her to stay at Belén's for a night, Iris knew it had something to do with whatever was bothering Belén earlier at Jitters.

"Iris…" Belén sighed, looking to the side.

"Bells," Iris gently tugged her wrist and forced them to look at each other, "You and I are good friends, right?"

"Like best friends," Belén clarified quietly.

"And best friends always tell each other what's going on. Please, have some trust in me."

Belén released a low sigh and nodded her head. "Okay, but you can't tell my Dad under any circumstances."

"Promise," Iris raised a hand then went back to painting Belén's nails.

"Someone's been following me for some time now, and I told Barry and Cisco about it."

"Why them?" Iris made a face then silently thought about it. Since Belén and Cisco nearly dated they had formed a strong bond that had Cisco like a male best friend. Iris could see why Belén would go to him. And Barry? Well...Barry just had one of those traits that made one immediately trust him.

"I needed to tell someone," Belén went on without knowledge of Iris' inner thoughts. "I went into STAR Labs and they were there. My mouth started before I could even realize."

"Please tell me you've gone to the police about this already?"

"Yeah, Barry took me this afternoon and I talked to your Dad. I practically begged him not to say anything to my father - hooray for being a legal adult," Belén made a languid gesture before sighing again. "I'm scared, Iris. I've never been in a situation like this and...I don't know how to forget the fact that some creeper is following me."

Iris now understood perfectly why she was here. She finished Belén's right hand and began painting the pinkie finger of her left hand. "Well, you won't be left alone that's for sure. If I'm not with you, then Barry will be, or Cisco, or Caitlin. You won't be alone."

Belén suspiciously looked at her friend for a minute before it hit her. "Did Barry tell you to come here tonight?" The answer was crystal clear when Iris stiffened. "Oh my God it  _is_. You're here to babysit me."

"Please don't tell Barry I messed it up," Iris shook her head. "I didn't know this was the reason - he was very obscure with his words."

"Oh my God!"

"No, but it's okay!" Iris took down Belén's flapping hands. "We haven't had one sleepover since Barry went into the coma."

"But that's just it, Iris," Belén snatched her hands and got up from the bed. "This  _isn't_  a sleepover: it's a babysitting job."

"No it's not!" Iris insisted, staying on her spot.

"So if Barry hadn't called you then you would still be here?"

Iris bit her lip, nervously smiling. "Okay, so...maybe it kinda is like babysitting but it's clear I'm not  _actually_  babysitting right now. I miss my friend, Bells. Are you really going to get mad at me?"

Belén dropped her arms on her sides and sat back down. "I'm not mad with anyone, I'm simply disagree with what Barry did."

"Then let's forget all about this and just focus on a sleepover! I vote we do this every week," Iris laughed.

"That doesn't sound half bad, honestly," Belén mused. "Maybe I can even get Caitlin to come."

"Oh, yes!" Iris pointed in agreement. "Poor girl stuck in between all that testosterone can't be fun for her."

Belén laughed and fully agreed. And as the night progressed she really did end up forgetting her problems.

~ 0 ~

"I can't believe you guys are actually doing this," Caitlin declared, but of course she didn't mean it. Of course she believed Barry and Cisco would spend an entire afternoon working to find out who was Belén's stalker. Of course.

"We wanted to help, Cait," Barry shrugged, much too focused on the computer screen Cisco was working on to look at her. "The police simply aren't fast enough."

"But of course you are," Dr. Wells mused, exchanging a knowing look with Caitlin.

"Exactly," Barry said without noticing the looks.

"But so far there's not enough footage," Cisco remarked after pausing an ongoing security video. "I mean, there's the guy," he pointed at the hoodie man, "but it's blurry."

"So, just clear it up," Caitlin shrugged.

"That can take hours."

"Which you have."

"Caitlin's right," Barry straightened. "You do that and I'll check up on Bells."

"Right, give  _me_  the boring job," Cisco playfully rolled his eyes.

"I have to tutor actually, so believe me it won't be all that glamorous."

Barry was only midway towards the exit when everyone did a simultaneous 'woah' and called him back.

"Now you're  _tutoring_  her?" Caitlin raised an eyebrow.

"It was the only she would stop putting herself in danger!"

The other three traded looks before all agreeing that was a horrible excuse.

Barry sighed and explained more fully his reasons. "I figured out that the tutor Belén was actually going to meet was her stalker. She called him and everything. I had to do something, alright?"

"Wait, she called him?" Cisco asked. "And he, like...answered?"

"Yeah…" Barry then realized it was certainly useful information. "Wait, do you think we could track the guy down with the phone?"

"Uhh…" Cisco honestly thought about it. "I don't know…"

"We can do it," Barry was already going on with the plan. "I take her phone and we track the call."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"She's going to be work anyways it's not like she'll need it," Barry shrugged.

"Besides-" Caitlin interjected, "-she'll have her very own bodyguard in the meantime," she smirked to herself and turned to her computer.

Barry rolled his eyes and sped out of the room.

Cisco looked Caitlin's way and ended up smirking too. "I bet you twenty a date will come up in the next month."

"What?" Caitlin blinked, looking indignant that this was turning into a  _game_. She only joked with Barry because it was fun annoying him but she wouldn't make money off actual feelings.

"Alright two months," Cisco offered.

"Cisco!"

"I'll join the bet," Dr. Wells chimed in, surprising the two younger employees. "I like to have fun," he reasoned after the looks he received.

"One month?" Cisco repeated.

"Two months."

"Deal!"

Caitlin looked between the two men, feeling incredibly guilty as she cut in. "Belén's too shy, like the counterpart of Barry, it'd be at least three months till one of them makes a move."

Cisco's wide, teasing smile made her feel worse. "One, two three months, alright!"

~ 0 ~

"You know, I don't appreciate you sending Iris as a babysitter," Belén remarked as she and Barry walked down a street, heading for CC Pictures.

Barry winced and sheepishly glanced down at her. "You know?"

"Yes, and I'm not happy about that."

"I'm sorry, Bells, I was just trying to help…"

Belén smiled when she saw the instant guilt in him. She would let him off with a warning, she decided. "I appreciate your concern but I don't think Iris should be dragged into my problems. She's got a lot of stuff to do."

"She didn't mind," Barry waved it off. Belén laughed and shook her head at him. He could act like such a child sometimes. "So I was thinking about our tutoring problem," Barry changed the subject successfully, "And I realized you were right about something."

"And that would be?" Belén wondered. It wasn't common for her to be right about something concerning biology.

"You're a journalist," Barry declared, almost like it was a secret even she didn't know, "Which means you're used to seeing things face to face - like interviews and videos. You're a visual learner!"

"And that means…?" Belén silently laughed at herself for ever thinking she would've been right about something in biology.

"A perfect way to tutor you is to use visualization. You know, like we can use simple things to recreate what I'm talking about."

"Like blocks? And play-doh? That's what kindergarten classes do to teach the students, no?"

"Yes!" Barry pointed. "We can use all that to help you understand!"

Belén giggled. "Great, so I'll be a kindergartner. Will I get milk and cookies during a break?"

Barry played along and nodded his head. "If you're extra good there may even be apple juice."

"I don't like Apple juice," Belén scrunched her nose with distaste.

"Orange juice?"

"There we go!"

Barry grinned at her enthusiasm, and the fact she was forgetting of her problem. They came to a stop just outside CC Pictures.

"So, we'll see each other tomorrow for that tutoring right?" he asked.

"Mhm, and I'll ask Maritza if she can loan me some of her classroom bits for the session," Belén laughed.

"Right," Barry gave her a hug, and he discreetly dipped a hand into her bag to pull out her phone. He hated stealing from her but he conformed with the idea he would be tracking down the creep who was stalking her. If she got mad, he would find a way to make it up to her.

After bidding goodbye, Belén watched Barry leave a couple seconds before entering the news place. At the end of the street, the hoodie man stepped out behind a pole. His eyes had narrowed at the exchange between the two. He needed to act fast before anything more happened.

~ 0 ~

"I don't...I don't know…" Cisco let his hands lightly slam on the desk. Barry sighed beside him, letting his head hang. "It's just we don't have the expertise to do this."

"We're scientists, not hackers," Caitlin mused from her spot at the desk. "It's one thing to hack into street security cameras but a single phone searching for a single contact is tougher." She was drinking from a mug of coffee and amusingly staring at the two while they desperately tried hacking into Belén's phone. They'd been at it for a near two hours with no progress.

"Caitlin, please, we're trying to work," Cisco rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm just pointing out a simple truth," Caitlin raised a hand in surrender.

"There has to be a way we could track the caller," Barry persisted, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm open for ideas," Cisco expectantly looked at him, arms crossed.

Barry began to pace while he thought of an actual idea. Five minutes later, he stopped. "There is...one person...that's incredibly good with computers."

"Who?" both Cisco and Caitlin looked at him curiously.

Barry turned to them, his hands behind his head, somewhat nervous. "Someone's I've neglected to give a call since I woke up from the coma."

The obscure answer left Cisco and Caitlin in the same state of confusion and curiosity they were in before the answer.

~ 0 ~

"I don't understand where my phone went," Belén exasperatedly rummaged through her bag for her cellphone. Linda stared at the intern, in right entertainment as Belén went from one desk to another thinking she'd dropped it there. "I can't believe this!" Belén exclaimed and stopped when she remembered the last time she'd used her phone. "Oh! Maybe it's on the street!"

"I doubt it'll still be there," Linda called but Belén was already on her way out.

It was beginning to get dark but Belén was confident she would find her phone again. She remembered the way Barry had walked them through and followed it. But when she turned down the block, she bumped into someone - a woman in leather purple.

"S-sorry," Belén stumbled back, her smile fading when she looked up to the woman.

Though she wore a purple mask covering the top half of her face, her eyes bore on Belén in an intense way. Her burned brunette hair was as shiny as her clothing. "Belén Palayta?" the modulated voice of Plasticine stirred a fear in Belén.

"Wh-who are you?" Belén swallowed hard, discreetly moving back to the street of CC Pictures.

"Plasticine." The woman took steps towards Belén. "You've been sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Belén. And it has to stop."

There was a crash of windows that made Belén jump and whirl to the direction of her workplace. She caught two masked people breaking in with weapons.

"Oh my God!" she meant to run after them but Plasticine grabbed her by the neck and yanked her back. Belén gasped for air as the arm tightly gripped her neck.

"This is a warning, Belén," Plasticine murmured in Belén's ear. "Stop your silly search for your brother. He's  _dead_. He served his function to our crew and we killed him."

"Wha-"

Plasticine shoved her to the ground and stepped a black heeled boot beside Belén's head, startling the blonde. "Next time you get the urge to research about us we'll make our anger known. Whether it's through your father or your little friends."

Belén fearfully gazed up at the tall woman, her hot tears pricking her eyes but not daring to escape in front of the stranger. "What happened to my brother?"

"He  _died_ ," Plasticine looked past her to the end of the street where her two comrades had come out of the news place already. "This was your first and final warning, Belén. Heed it." She walked past Belén and strode down the rest of the street.

"No, wait!" Belén scrambled to get up but Plasticine shot out a purple, shapeless mass her way. Belén yelped and let herself fall again to dodge the mass in time.

Plasticine stopped beside CC Pictures to observe the destruction her two comrades had made. She could see that her sister's desk had been completely ransacked of everything. She'd already taken care of the house so that meant Belén would have nothing left to search with. Feeling secure, she ran off.

"No!" Belén saw her one chance of finding her brother (whether dead or alive by that point) disappearing. She got up and made to run when someone grabbed her from behind, in a choke-hold.

Everything went dark soon after.

~ 0 ~

Usually, CC Pictures was the place where news was given out, not the center where the news took place. This time, the photography was aimed towards the inside of the building.

"I don't know what happened - one moment we were working, the next these two people come in and start bashing things with these...these weird powers…" Linda Park was giving her testimony to Eddie Thawne by her desk that had miraculously stayed together and unturned.

Meanwhile, Barry was carefully examining the destruction at the other end of the room. Joe came up beside him inquiring the status of the scene. "So we've got new metahumans in the city. One has..." Barry gestured to the bits and pieces of ice shards left scattered around, "...ice powers. The other was reported to use some sort of electrical power. She appeared and disappeared. But the interesting part is they came looking for Belén's things," Barry narrowed his eyes, struggling to push away the overwhelming urge to speed out and begin the search for Belén.

"They destroyed her computer," Joe pointed to the bits and pieces that used to be Belén's laptop on the floor. "Ripped up all her papers - they basically destroyed everything of hers. And, what they didn't, they took. There was also a sighing of that purple girl Cisco talks about sometimes, but she didn't do anything except stand there."

"Why? Why would they do that?" Barry turned away, balling a fist on his side. "It doesn't make sense!"

"Hey, Barry?" Linda called out to Barry once she finished her testimony. Joe left to go converse with Eddie over the new testimony in case it was useful. "You need to find my friend," it sounded like an order but she didn't quite care how it came out.

"We will," Barry nodded. "I'm gonna get on it right now."

"Do you have any idea who those people were?" Linda asked, stopping him from walking away. "Because it sounded like they knew her. I know Belén and she doesn't make  _those_  types of friends."

"No, I don't think she knew them," Barry sighed.

"Do you think...that maybe those people were there because Belén refuses to let go of her brother's disappearance?"

The question struck realization in Barry.

"Belén didn't tell me straight up but I know she hasn't let go of Rayan's case. Whenever she's on a break she's always on the laptop of hers. It's pretty easy to put two and two." Linda crossed her arms and lowered her tone. "Those people that came in asked only for Belén's things and destroyed just her things. They said something of a lesson...what else could they be talking about?"

Linda Park was a genius, Barry immediately thought.

"Did you hear anything else?" Barry inquired. "Anything that could help us?"

"Just what I told Detective Thawne," Linda shrugged, "The purple woman - the one that shoots those purple things - they were talking about her, I know they were. She's the one who was standing outside...and I'm guessing she's the one that took Belén in the end."

"What was Belén doing outside in the first place?"

"Looking for her phone. She dropped it somewhere and when she went out that's when the people came in."

Barry felt a bad ping in his heart after that. It was his fault, no doubt. He took her phone and Belén went outside in search of it.

"Barry?" Linda's voice brought him back to the present. She was giving him a motion but he didn't quite catch it. "Your phone, it's ringing."

"What?" that's when Barry realized his phone was indeed ringing, and relentlessly. Linda lightly smiled and walked away, leaving him to tend to the call. "Cisco, what is it?"

~ 0 ~

At STAR Labs, both Cisco and Caitlin were staring wide-eyed at the computer screen.

The hoodie man had been identified.

"Felicity got back to us," Cisco began, his skin crawling with both fury and overwhelming fear.

"And?" Barry's impatient tone went unnoticed by the two employees.

"You'll never believe who took her…"

"He's been M.I.A for months now," Caitlin remarked off to the side.

"Who!?" Barry practically shouted from the other line.

~ 0 ~

"Wakey, wakey, my dear Belén," went a familiar voice.

Belén was tied to wooden chair, her head hanging with her ombre blonde hair draped in front. She could hear the voice, and slowly configured it to its owner. She raised her head, and though hair strands still covered her face, she saw perfectly the man in the gray hoodie.

"C-Carlton?"


	6. Not Yours Anymore

Belén's ex-boyfriend, Carlton, propped up a chair in front of her and sat down. There was a wicked look in his eyes and Belén theorized he wasn't quite 'there, there' since the last time they'd seen each other. He, on the other hand, loved the situation they were now in. Belén was tied up by the wrists behind her chair, as well as her ankles.

"Surprised?" Carlton started the mocking round with her. "I bet you are. It's been a long time since we've seen each other... _Bells_."

"Don't call me that," Belén snapped. " _You_ don't get to call me that."

"Oh, right, right, it's a cute little nickname one of your boyfriends gave you, right?" Carlton tilted his head, feigning thoughts. "What was his name? The not vegetable one?"

Belén narrowed her eyes. "How would you know Cisco was almost my boyfriend?"

"I've always been there with you, Belén," Carlton said like it should've been obvious. "I couldn't believe you were actually going on a date with that STAR Labs twit."

"You're mad," Belén came to the conclusion fairly fast, but Carlton went on like she hadn't spoken.

"I was relieved that you called it off but  _now_ I see you're getting a little cozy with the other one - the one you broke up with me for?"

"Hey!" Belén leaned forwards on her chair. "I broke up with you because of  _you_. Don't flatter yourself by blaming others. You were verbally abusive, Carlton. You wanted to control every aspect of my life and I decided that I didn't want that kind of person at my side."

"I loved you-"

"Uuum," Belén had to cut him off there, "Need I remind you that the last thing you said to me was I would pay for breaking up with you? That's not love."

"I got over it - you know how impulsive I am sometimes."

Belén shook her head. "You're actually crazy. I mean, before you were abusive and controlling...now you can add 'crazy' to the list. And stalker. Definitely adding 'stalker' to the list."

"This is your fault!" Carlton rose from his chair, angrier than ever.

" _My_ fault? How is this  _my_ fault!?"

"You broke up with me!" Carlton shouted in her face, startling her momentarily. "I wouldn't have had the need to do any of this stuff had you just stuck by me!"

"You're not throwing this on me, Carlton. You're crazy! Now let me go!" Belén tugged on the rope binding her to the chair.

Carlton had himself a good laugh as he bent down in front of Belén, putting his hands on her knees. "You're not going anywhere, Belén. Right now, things are a bit hectic in the city to move you but when things calm down we're out of here. I  _promise_ you."

~ 0 ~

"WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS GUY!?" Barry's voice boomed in the cortex room, currently losing his mind with the revelation of Belén's 'stalker' and thus kidnapper.

Cisco and Caitlin were by the desk trying to figure out where Carlton could've possibly taken Belén. Despite telling Barry to calm down, well...it was not happening.

"I don't understand why he would take her!" Barry paced back and forth in front of the desk. "I mean, I sort of figured on my own that Belén had to have broken up with him but...I mean...what?" he stopped pacing to face his friends, expecting some answers.

Caitlin looked over to Cisco, both assuming that Belén had not told Barry the reason why she and Carlton had broken up in the first place. It appeared now they would have to do it on behalf of Belén.

"Guys?" Barry noticed the exchange of looks between the two. "You know something, I know you do. What is it?"

Caitlin pursed her lips together and Cisco avoided Barry's looks by delving deep into work on the computer.

"Look, I guess Belén didn't tell you anything because...she didn't want to make you uncomfortable," Caitlin began to reason, throwing a glance at Cisco for some help.

"Why?" Barry asked.

"He and Bells had a fallout during your comatose months," Cisco, thankfully, picked up where Caitlin had left off. "They got into a fight and somewhere in there Carlton insulted you and...Bells snapped. She just broke up with him."

Barry was, of course, taken aback by the bit of news. Belén had never mentioned anything to him about what happened between her and Carlton. Honestly, Barry didn't want to bring up that horrid relationship just to be nosy. Now he was regretting it. Had he known about how Carlton and Belén broke up then maybe he would have thought about Carlton being the culprit before he actually went after Belén.

"It's no big deal, she just didn't like that he'd gone and insulted someone who couldn't defend them self at the moment," Caitlin tried to ease the awkward air around them. "Anyone would have done the same."

"Okay," Barry ran a hand through his hair. "So, then...so what happened afterwards?"

"Well, after the huge drama with her family, and Carlton finally stopping his attempts of getting her back...he just sort of...disappeared," Cisco said.

"What do you mean 'disappeared'?" Barry knew that no one ever just 'disappeared' for the hell of it. There were always specific reasons, and intentions. He was terrified of what Carlton's intentions had been.

"He resigned from Mercury Labs," Caitlin explained. "Belén heard it from her Dad. Carlton just resigned. After that, he disappeared."

"We thought it was a way to avoid seeing Belén," Cisco shrugged. "Maybe he'd gotten tired of following her and stuff..."

"Clearly, that's not what happened," Barry threw him a sharpened look.

"Clearly," agreed Cisco with a small nod.

"We need to look him up," Barry concluded. "We need to know everything he did after quitting his job. There has to be something that can help us figure out where he took Belén."

"On it," went both Cisco and Caitlin.

~ 0 ~

"RAYAN!" Angie screamed as her lamp went flying in the air, crashing at the wall. "You're paying for that one!"

Rayan didn't care and just plonked himself down on her couch, hands covering his face. "My sister is missing and all you care about is your stupid lamp!?"

Angie crossed her arms, not at all affected by the news considering it was costing her actual money. "You throwing my furniture around isn't going to bring back your stupid sister-"

Rayan jumped up to his feet and pointed at her with a threatening finger. "Insult my sister one more time, I dare you."

Angie raised an eyebrow but was not stupid enough to engage in a fight against a telekinetic. It was clear as day that Rayan was improving his powers and even unlocking new sides.

"Well-" Maritza's voice broke them apart to reveal she was already inside the apartment, just by the doorway, "-does this mean this is the end of this lovely couple already?"

Angie rolled her eyes and walked away from Rayan who slowly lowered his finger. "Your brother is being a complete child."

"Yes, Rayan's always had a bit of a temper," Maritza stepped over the glass pieces of the lamp on the floor, also noticing several picture frames shattered by the coffee table.

"My sister is missing!" Rayan shouted like it should be enough to justify his power outbursts.

"And you need to control yourself," Maritza responded in a louder, more authoritative, voice. "I've already got my friend working on finding possible locations."

"The one that helped us rob Belén's things?" Angie inquired. "He doesn't talk much, does he?"

"He doesn't know you," Maritza corrected.

"And I don't know him so therefore I don't trust him," Rayan shrugged.

"Unfortunately you're not the only one with opinions," Maritza defended her position quite calmly. "I trust him, and he's good with technology too so it wouldn't hurt to give him a chance. He already proved he could steal efficiently, alright?"

"I just...I want to find my sister, Maritza," Rayan truthfully said, softening even. "I may not be able to talk to her anymore but I will always make sure she's okay."

Maritza nodded. "I know."

~ 0 ~

"I have to ask, were you in league with that purple woman that attacked me outside CC Pictures?"

Carlton scoffed and turned back to Belén. "That robber with the purple powers?" Belén nodded her head. "No. I've been following you for some time, Belén. I was calculating for the right moment to take you and it so happened that this woman and her little band of robbers gave me the perfect chance. Right now I'm assuming the cops think they have you."

"If you've been following me this whole time then why'd you wait so long?" Belén inquired. "I mean, there were chances, I'm sure of it. Why wait?"

Carlton snorted. "You would think, right?" he came back to take a seat in front of her. "But you're more sociable than I remember. If it wasn't your idiot friend Nina, then it was that annoying barista, Iris. Or sometimes that blabber mouth of Cisco. Oh, but let's not forget the one you seem so comfortable with, and the reason we broke up, Barry. And even then, in the nights...you were meeting with a special little someone, huh?"

Belén failed to hide her shock. He knew about the meetings with the Streak!?

Carlton laughed at her. "I mean, I was up and ready to take you during the nights you snuck out but then I got a little curious, you know? Where was goody two-shoes Belén going at such a late hour? I followed you...and I saw you with that red streak everyone's been talking about."

"You were there? Every single time?"

"Course not, but I was for a good part of them. What were you two talking about that had you swooning?"

" _That_ is none of your business! And for your information I wasn't swooning!" Belén exclaimed, but her face was warming up.

"Tell that to someone else, please," Carlton laughed again. "But really, if you want someone with freaky powers, rest assured I can deliver."

"I'm not interested in whatever - wait," Belén stopped once she processed his words. "What do you mean?" she looked Carlton up and down. "Do you...do you have..."

Carlton moved over to a tattered couch. "Observe. I'm not the man I was before," he grabbed one of the cushions from the couch and Belén was horrified to see the cushion be devoured by some sort of bright, orange state.

"What the...what  _is_  that?" she watched the cushion disappear into nothing.

Carlton smirked and neared the coffee table. The moment his fingers made contact with the table it began to melt.

It was  _acid_.

Acid ate at the edge of the table, slowly gobbling it up entirely until it was just bits and pieces crumbled at the floor.

"You were affected by the Particle Accelerator explosion too," Belén whispered in both surprise and tremendous fear. "T-tell me you can control that..."

"Of course I can, I'm not an idiot," Carlton walked back to her. "I didn't quite understand where these powers came from but...I suppose it was related to what I worked on during that night."

"Th-the Particle Accelerator gave people some powers and-and you're one of them," Belén said so quietly, still unable to accept it. "You're...you're a metahuman."

"A what now?" Carlton raised an eyebrow.

"It's...it's what the Streak says they're called - the people like you. They're called metahumans."

"Hm, not bad, I suppose," Carlton returned to his seat in front of her. "So, you see? If you want someone with powers, I can be that man."

"I don't want you, Carlton," Belén whispered. "And whatever you're thinking of, it's not going to work."

Carlton chuckled condescendingly at her. "Oh, really? And why is that?"

"Because the cops are going to find me, and if they can't, then the Streak will. I know they will," Belén said, completely sure of her words.

"You're not going back to the, Belén. Don't you see that?" Carlton cupped her face, feeling her shaking under his touch. "I realized that breaking up was a terrible decision and I want us to be together again. But-" he patted her cheeks and straightened up, "-I do recognize that you've made some rather intelligent friends with some power, so we may be here for a bit more than I intended."

"For such an intelligent person you sure are acting pretty stupid," Belén remarked, trying to mask her fear with boldness.

"Oh, I've calculated all this perfectly. I assure you Annah-Belén, you won't be going home ever again."

"We'll see," Belén challenged.

~ 0 ~

Caitlin, Cisco and Barry had continued to work on finding everything could on Carlton. Dr. Wells had come in and of course offered to help them.

"Now are you sure there isn't a connection between him and the purple woman that's been sighted?" Wells asked after pulling up said purple woman's profile on his computer.

"Believe me, I've checked," Cisco said, rather disappointed. "Purple girl is my ultimate mystery metahuman girl."

"Please don't tell me you have a crush on her," Caitlin shot him a crinkled-nose look. "Because, on behalf of Belén, I'll hit you."

Cisco shook his head fast. "Of course not!"

"But we still have to find her and put her in the pipeline," Barry reminded them all. "Just...not right now."

"As for Carlton, there's nothing on him," Caitlin returned to work. "I mean, he formally presented his resignation to Mercury Labs. After that, there's no record of him acquiring some other job - at least not in the same profession."

"But I doubt Carlton would work as a waiter," Cisco joked mildly. "His apartment was rented to some new folks after he just stopped paying rent. And his family hasn't heard from him in quite a while."

"So he basically disappeared…" Barry thought for a moment, his mind wandering back to the very first day he fought a metahuman, "...just like Mardon brothers…"

"What?" Cisco caught the last part and frowned. "What about them?"

"Think about it," Barry began to pace, voicing his thoughts out loud, "Clyde Mardon was thought to be dead but the whole time he was just hiding out making petty robberies with his metahuman abilities."

"Are you suggesting Carlton is a metahuman, Mr. Allen?" Wells mused on the idea, of course believing it could have some truth.

"It's a possibility I'm willing to bet on," Barry nodded, the new idea causing his insides to churn with more fear. "Which means we need to be out there, searching for Belén before he hurts her."

"I already stopped by the station to give them the clear footage of Carlton," Wells reminded, "Which means that they're going to start looking for him very soon."

"It's not enough!" Barry snapped, although it wasn't directed at Wells. He was just angry with himself because he was the reason Belén had been so easy to catch. "I got Bells into this situation-"

"No you didn't-" Caitlin began but Barry wasn't going to let anyone convince him otherwise.

"Yes, I did! The reason she was out on the street was because  _I_  took her phone. If she had her phone she would've been inside-"

"Where the two crooks that broke in would've probably taken her," Caitlin finished for him. "No matter what, Carlton was after her. He was just waiting for the right moment. There's nothing we can for now except wait and see what the police comes up with."

As much as it pained him, Barry knew Caitlin was right. Phone or no phone, Carlton had already been planning on coming for Belén. It just sickened him that he had to let Belén stay with that guy while he himself did nothing.

~ 0 ~

Night turned to day, and morning to afternoon...and there was still no news about Belén.

Iris had no idea how she was managing to work without spilling coffees when her mind buzzed with the different outcomes this entire kidnapping could have. It didn't get any better when she saw Barry coming in with that grim look on his face. She was counting on him to give her some good news!

She hurriedly left the pot of coffee and rushed to meet him. "Hey, is there-"

"Nothing," Barry mumbled and went for the counter for a much needed coffee. He had decided that 'doing nothing' didn't work for him. So, he spent the entire night speeding through the city trying to find Belén on his own.

It didn't work.

"This is so frustrating!" Iris growled and went behind the counter to set up his usual. "Carlton was a bad guy from the start, and when Belén finally broke up with him I was soooo relieved. I thought: 'maybe now she'll finally meet someone good enough for her'." Iris deeply sighed and turned to Barry. "This is just the tip of the iceberg for her."

"Not just for her…" Barry had turned his head towards the doors where Belén's older sister, Maritza, holding the hand of her four year old son, walked in.

"Maritza," Iris' eyebrows raised in surprise. Maritza didn't tend to visit Jitters seeing as she lived on the other side of the city.

"Hi Iris," Maritza greeted with a dim smile, "Barry," she acknowledged.

"How are you?" Iris felt dumb to ask but what else could she say at a moment like this?

"My husband died, my brother died, and now my sister is missing," Maritza shook her head. "I'm not doing so well."

"My Dad's on the case, and he's not letting it go until he finds her," Iris promised her.

"I know, and we're all really appreciative of it." Maritza sighed and looked up at the menu. "I just came in for my Dad's sake." She would leave the part out of her doing her own tasks to find her sister. "My mother's not coming in until tomorrow so Dad's taking it upon himself to commandeer this kidnapping from home."

"No sleep," Barry remarked, knowing exactly how that felt.

"Yeah," Maritza nodded.

"Mommy," Maritza's son, Axel, tugged on her sleeve. "Milk? Can I have the milk?"

"Yes, sweetie," Maritza looked at Iris pleadingly. "I don't know what my Dad usually gets…"

"Espresso," Iris smiled and got on the job.

"Milk!" Axel exclaimed and inched closer to the counter, barely tall enough to look above it. "Iris, can I have some milk!"

Iris smiled at the boy. "And milk for Axel, of course." She brought back Barry's coffee first while Maritza's espresso was finishing up. "I was just telling Barry how unbelievable this entire thing is," Iris went back and got started on that milk. She picked up a carton and poured some into a foam cup.

"Carlton was such a sweet guy," Maritza began but she was surprised by the loud scoffs Iris and Barry gave. "What…?"

"He was  _awful_ ," Barry began, and Iris agreed with a 'mhm'.

"What? No he wasn't," Maritza made a face, but Iris went on.

"Yes, he was. He was verbally abusive towards your sister, very controlling and overall just rude." Iris set down the foam cup of milk which Axel immediately fussed to get. "I'm a witness, Barry's a witness, and I'm sure Bells' other college friends are too. I'm glad your father finally saw it too."

"Are...are you serious?" Maritza slowly picked up the foam cup for Axel, her eyes only flickering from Iris to Barry. "He never acted remotely rude to her when he was around…"

"Because you're Belén's family. He's rude but he's not an idiot," Iris shrugged. "The day of the Particle Accelerator, Barry and I had to defend Belén from him. Barry made him leave."

"This is all knew to me," Maritza blinked with wide eyes. "I...I can't believe it…"

"Carlton may have been a scientist with money - hell, even  _I'd_  swoon for one of his family's many vacation homes - but he was goddamn awful to Belén. I hope he rots in jail when he gets captured."

Barry's mind had frozen after Iris' words, and replayed them over and over. There was a clicking and suddenly he was bolting out of the coffee place, ignoring the women's calls for him.

~ 0 ~

"Eat," Carlton ordered for the tenth time but Belén refused to open her mouth to be spoon fed the takeout Chinese food he'd gotten. "Belén, I swear to God you better open your mouth or I will shove it in the hard way."

Belén glared at him and silently opened her mouth. She chewed the disgusting the food, thinking of the right moment to…

"We'll be leaving after this," Carlton warned. "I don't know if they've figured out our hiding place but I surely won't be sticking around to find out." He spoon-fed her again and caressed her face. "Have you missed me like I've missed you?"

Belén spit her food in his face.

"Agh!" Carlton let the plate drop to the floor as he jumped up and frantically cleared his face. Belén smirked, enjoying watching him rubbing off her chewed bits of noodles. "You stupid bitch!"

"Definitely a way to get me back," Belén finally spoke up. "I will never love you, Carlton. This entire thing is a waste of time. Leave on your own and let the police find me here. I won't say anything about you."

Carlton had grabbed a towel nearby and was cleaning his face off. "I don't plan on leaving you behind, Belén. You're coming with me."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are! I'm not leaving you here with those idiots you call friends!"

"They're my friends and they've been kinder to me than  _you_  have ever been since we met!"

"They don't know you-"

"YES THEY DO!" Belén erupted into zealous shouts, ignoring his raging glares. "They know more about me than you ever did! Each of them understands me, they help me, they love me. You never did! All you cared about was whether I'd make it to your stupid job parties!"

Carlton lost it and shot a beam of deadly acid. Belén shut her eyes thinking it would be hitting her. Instead, it passed right beside her and hit the wall. Belén heard the hissing noise and glanced over her shoulder, relieved it hadn't touched her.

"One more word and I will shoot  _you_  this time," Carlton threatened. Belén gulped and said no more.

~ 0 ~

"I can't believe we didn't think about this," Cisco cursed himself for being so stupid but nonetheless worked fast with Caitlin to look through the nearest vacation homes Carlton's family owned.

"Is there anything?" Barry had come back into the room wearing his suit without the mask. He was just waiting for them to finish and tell him where Belén was so he could go get her.

"Not yet," Caitlin said without lifting her eyes off the screen.

"Barry, are you sure you want to do this?" Dr. Wells came into the room with Joe beside him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Barry asked, confused.

"Because you're too emotional and that does not pair up well in a fight."

"He's right, Barry," Joe gave him the same stern look Wells had. "I say the best thing to do is bring whatever Caitlin and Cisco find back to the station."

"And if it turns out that Carlton does have metahuman abilities?" Barry challenged, finding this entire conversation pointless. He was going and that was that.

"Got it!" Cisco exclaimed triumphantly, instigating Barry to leave the conversation. In a flash he was standing behind Cisco's chair. "Turns out, there's this ranch-like home the family owns just outside the outskirts of the city. The family's been trying to rebuild it for some time now so I'm guessing it's pretty much abandoned."

"And perfect for hiding," Barry nodded. "Great, give me the exact location."

~ 0 ~

"Don't touch me! Don't!" Belén frantically shouted against Carlton's harsh touches while he tried to unbind her from her chair.

"I'm trying to free you, you idiot! We have to go!"

"Haven't you got the memo? I don't want to go anywhere with you!"

"Let me just-"

"I SAID NO!"

"ENOUGH!" Carlton roared and threatened her with a hand drenched in acid in front of her face, scaring her dead still. "We're leaving and whether you do it walking on uninjured feet or not is  _your_  choice."

Belén had enough of this cowardice, both from herself and Carlton. She was stronger than she looked, and she could defend herself...in a way. Well...okay, so she had never actually been in a situation where she was in necessity to use such defense moves…

"Let's go," Carlton had set her free from the wrists and ankles.

"Where are we going?" Belén demanded, eyeing the threatening hand beside her.

"I was thinking Starling City for now, but then Europe. I've always loved Europe."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Belén tried fighting against him despite the acidic hand problem.

"Belén don't think I won't do it!"

"Do it you coward! But I can't guarantee there won't be hell to pay for it!"

"Belén!"

"I said NO!" Belén screamed and, without thinking, she thrust a suddenly-green hand towards Carlton. A vine was released and had thrown Carlton a good distance onto the floor. Belén's eyebrows raised up as she stared at her hand. "N-n-n-n-o, go away..."

Carlton's eerie laughter broke her from thoughts for a moment. He was melting the vine with his acid but his eyes were glued on Belén. "Well, I can say that out of everything...I was not expecting  _that_ ," he pointed at Belén's still-green hand. She quickly hid it behind her back, eyes now wide open. "You're one of us, aren't you? One of those...metahumans?"

"Shut up," Belén warned, swallowing hard.

"But you're not in control of them yet," Carlton was quick to notice. He could see that her hand was still green, although it had lightened its shade. "What are you, hm? What can you do?"

"St-stay back, Carlton," Belén motioned him with her green hand to stay in place, but the man kept nearing her. "I mean it! I don't...I don't know to what extent these things can get to, alright?"

"We can find out together," Carlton formed a deep smirk that just scared the crap out of Belén.

"I think  _not_!" she stepped backwards.

"Don't be scared, you're one of us-"

"I don't know what I am but I'm sure as hell I am nothing like  _you_."

"Oh yeah?" Carlton had come up to face her. He was towering her but Belén was upholding his stare.

"I don't kidnap people, I don't force them to leave with you against their wills. So yeah, I'm not like you."

"I say you are!" Carlton grabbed her by the wrists and purposely released some light acid on her skin in an attempt to weaken her. Belén groaned and tried pushing his hands away from her. "With good medical attention, we can get this all fixed up, but we have to go  _now_."

"OW! OW! OW! I said  _no_!" Belén's skin rapidly shifted between her regular color into the emerald green. "Get away from me!" Vines wrapped around her arms and spread to her hands, blasting Carlton away from her. As quick as they'd appeared, they disappeared. "Now would be a really good time to have you it in my control," she mumbled to herself.

"What abilities  _do_  you own my dear?" Carlton was struggling to get free from the vines despite using his acidic properties, but Belén was not going to give him the satisfaction of giving up so easily.

Belén felt something strange inside her, like a great wave of impulse - it was an impulse that she just couldn't control. "None of your business!" she thrust another vine forwards but Carlton rolled to the side and dodged it. "Stay still!" she screamed and raised her hands to then drop them, at the same time slamming vines down on the ground. Carlton had leaped towards the wall and narrowly avoided the hit.

Carlton shot acid over a good part of the vines, successfully cutting them off and making the rest sling back to Belén's palms. His next aim were her hands, seeing as they were her primary tools with her "abilities". But Belén saw his movements and jumped to the side, falling against an empty bookshelf.

There was a wild look in her eyes as she growled and raised a hand again. Carlton didn't waste a moment and shot acid directly at it. Belén screeched when it hit her palm and she quickly clutched her hand. The wild look was gone, along with the blotches of green skin, and now a desperate Belén had scrambled up to her feet to make a good old fashioned escape

"If you're not leaving this place with me then you're not leaving at all!" Carlton warned and thrust a hand up to the chandelier Belén was about to pass.

Belén screamed as it fell right off the ceiling and nearly crushing her in the process. She turned around, furious and in pain from the shards of glass that had grazed (and some stuck) to her body, as well as the acidic injuries she already contained. "You are insane! How did I  _ever_  go out with you!?"

Carlton was making his way towards her again when a breeze picked up from nowhere. But Belén recognized it instantaneously. "You came," her voice went soft as she looked back to 'the Red Streak' standing at the doorway.

There was an immediate relief washing over Barry just seeing her standing and  _alive_. But that soon went to hell when Carlton attacked again. He rammed her against the wall, the intensity of the attack knocking her out cold. But she went down hissing again with the acid hands touching her arms.

"Did you find her?" Barry heard Cisco's voice from the earpiece but didn't respond on account of him speeding Carlton away from Belén and slamming him to the floor.

"I think he found her," Caitlin remarked then, probably hearing the loud noise of the slam.

"I heard about you," Carlton wickedly smiled at the metahuman currently holding him by his hoodie. "The Red Streak - that's what they call you right?"

"Why did you take her!?" Barry demanded through a modulated voice and with a blurred face.

"She was my girlfriend and I wanted her back. As you can see, it's none of your concern."

"It is  _all_  of my concern!"

Carlton wasted no more time talking and exposed his acidity powers on Barry's chest. The red clad metahuman yelped and stumbled back as the acid penetrated through the suit and onto his skin. On a whim, he glanced back at Belén's lying body and saw the noticeable acid burns on her arms. Carlton had dared to use his powers on her as well.

"She wouldn't listen," Carlton said calmly, seeing where Barry's gaze had fallen to.

"So you threw  _acid_  to her!?" Barry was fuming by this point.

"Barry-" Dr. Wells voice came in, "-your life signs indicate some sort of chemical infiltration, what's going on?'

Barry didn't bother to answer as he went in to punch Carlton. He had to continuously dodge the acid throws but with his speed it wasn't that hard of a task. He kicked Carlton from behind and shoved him to the floor. Just when he thought he would finally punch him hard enough to knock him out, a deep purple mass was shot Barry's way and pinned him against a wall.

Barry looked down at the gumbo-like material that wouldn't let him off the wall. Carlton too looked confused, but nonetheless grateful for the apparent struck of luck.

"Looks like I'm taking my girlfriend after all," he smirked and scrambled to his feet when he was knocked against the opposite wall by a second throw of purple mass.

Plasticine strode into the place, looking blank despite the upper hand she already had.

" _You_?" now Barry was utterly lost. He had made the point that this woman was not connected to the case but...could they have been wrong?

"Barry?" Cisco's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Yo, what happened!? Do you have Carlton?"

"Not...exactly..." Barry's eyes were glued to the purple woman. "It's her, Cisco. That purple woman - she's here."

Plasticine smirked. Rayan had, had to swallow his words when her friend had managed to find out that one of Carlton's family homes had been left nearly abandoned outside the city. "Are those fans you're talking to? Well, if so, I'd like to go ahead and point out that I  _do_ have a name. Plasticine." She walked to where Carlton who was barely getting on his feet. She pinned him down with her boot. "There is a message for those with powers who go after the humans," she lowered her hand.

"Wow, I'm just hitting the jackpot with so many people with powers," Carlton laughed to himself. "What's your name sweetheart?"

Plasticine arched a hidden eyebrow and shot her famous purple mass at him, pinning him to the ground. The difference was it didn't stop just above his shoulders and knees like Barry, it meant to encase him entirely.

"You can't kill him!" Barry exclaimed, using his speed to break through the surprisingly strong mass.

"You'll find I can do as I please," Plasticine retorted angrily. "This isn't about you so please shut up. You're lucky that I'm choosing to leave you alone for the moment."

"Gonna have to do better than that!" Carlton shouted and shot acid her way.

Plasticine ducked but never desisted with her purple mass. She kept releasing it with one hand and to get the job done quicker, she moved her hand's direction so that it went just at his mouth.

"No, STOP!" Barry shouted, completely horrified as Carlton found himself asphyxiating with the toxic mass. He was incredibly furious with the Carlton but death was not an option here, not when there was an adequate prison for metahumans now.

Plasticine walked closer to Carlton, the man now gagging. "We may be of a different kind now, but we don't harm the ones we don't need to." She stopped shooting when Carlton stopped moving. She turned to Barry, half smirking. "You're doing well for this city, but if you don't want to end up like this poor man, I suggest you hang up the suit."

"Who the hell are you?" Barry finally broke free from his prison.

"Plasticine. Take the girl to a hospital, and heed my warning. Next time, I'll be aiming for  _you_."

She calmly walked out of the building, knowing he would be far too focused with helping Belén to even think about following after her.

Guessing correctly, Barry made a dash for Belén. "Guys, I've found Belén," he announced, never realizing he hadn't even talked to them till then.

"You want to explain what was all we heard?" Caitlin demanded in her stern motherly tone.

"Can't it wait till later?" Barry looked around while gently scooping Belén into his arms.

"We heard slams, and voices, so of course not," went Cisco with a huff.

"Barry-" came the actual adult of the group, Dr. Wells, "-bring Belén to the hospital then come back to the lab."

"Got it," Barry nodded and moved to leave when something caught his eyes.

He hadn't noticed before the bright green scraps of...vines? What were they doing on the floor? There were no plants nearby - the place was barely furnished! Carlton had used only acid, and the Plasticine woman used her purple masses. So where'd the vines come from?

"You...came…" Belén's feeble voice brought Barry from his thoughts. She was looking at him with a languid smile, despite him having to blur his face again.

"You really thought I wouldn't?" Barry was caught up with her infectious smile to keep thinking. "What kind of hero would I be?"

"Thank you," Belén chuckled. "Do you think...you could take...me...home?"

"I've got a much better idea," Barry promised and sped out of the house.

~ 0 ~

When Belén woke up again, she found herself surrounded by her father, sister and nephew. The light beeping sound beside her and the faint pricking she felt in one of her hands made her realize she was in a hospital.

"Auntie Belén!" Axel clapped excitedly and was quickly shushed by his mother. "Sorry..."

"Oh thank God, Belén, you had us scared to death," her father sighed with immense relief.

"We're glad you're okay, sis," Maritza smiled softly. "Mom's coming in first thing tomorrow, she promised."

Belén smiled at them all before letting her uncomfortable state known.

"You had a couple of chemical burns but Nina said you should be fine," Maritza explained while Belén raised her hand that had been injured with said chemicals.

"I feel tired…" Belén languidly exhaled.

"Sugar levels are down too," her father explained. "Probably from lack of eating."

"Carlton force fed me stupid Chinese food…"

"Did he do anything to you, sweetheart?" David asked, his eyes filled with terrible fear. "Did he hurt you?"

"It's okay, Dad. The Red Streak saved me," Belén patted his hand gently. "The worst I got were the acid burns, but other than that, I'm fine."

"Nina said you would have to take it easy," Maritza said in a warning tone, quite sure her sister would ignore the instructions.

"Yeah, yeah, Nina always exaggerates," went the expected response.

"We mean it, Belén," their father said sternly. "Linda was more than happy to accommodate you for a small vacation, and your school understood perfectly." Belén opened her mouth to refuse but that look on her father's face was already telling her it was all set. "It's just for a couple weeks, okay?"

Belén sighed and turned her head away. "Will I ever get to graduate?"

"Auntie Belén," Axel came up to her side, his small hands reaching for her good hand that had the IV needles sticking through her skin. "Do you want to color with me?"

Belén smiled at her nephew and his innocence. "Not right now, Axel. But since I'll be on house arrest I can assure you we'll be doing a lot of coloring later."

"Belén," her father scolded her playfully, making her chuckle.

There was light knock on the already open door of the room, interrupting the family's moment.

"Can we come in?" Iris sheepishly waved a hand, speaking on behalf of the group behind her.

"Sure," David smiled and got up from his chair, signaling Maritza to do the same. "We'll give you guys a moment."

Maritza agreed, there were too many people in the room and they were sure to get a scold from Nina. She took Axel's hand and started for the doors.

"Nightie-night, auntie Belén," Axel waved as he walked along with his mother.

Belén smiled and tried waving back, but her arms were still sore from the acid burns.

"Thank God you're okay, Belén," Iris rushed to her friend's side.

"You gotta quit giving us heart attacks," Caitlin agreed, coming to the end of the bed.

"I can honestly say I will do my best," Belén half-joked.

"How are you feeling?" Barry asked in a much more serious, yet soft, tone. He took Maritza's place on her right.

"I don't know, honestly. My ex-boyfriend kidnapped me, had acid powers, and used them on me. Not to mention the woman in purple that attacked me before Carlton got to me." Belén decided to leave the part out of where she'd tried fighting Carlton on her own with those...special powers of hers.

"Do you know if they were working together?" asked Cisco. It would be better to know for sure if they'd been right in suspecting Plasticine hadn't worked along with Carlton.

"No," Belén shook her head. "Carlton was pretty clear on that."

"And you believed him?" Iris reluctantly asked.

"It makes sense, Iris," Belén sleepily exhaled, the drugs pumping into her blood nearing a second round effect. "I've...been looking for Rayan, and I guess I stuck my nose where it didn't belong."

"That's why the two people came into CC Pictures looking for your things," Cisco realized.

"The woman...she said...she said that Rayan was dead," Belén croaked, her eyes filling with tears.

"Hey, hey hey, you don't listen to those people," Barry gently garnered her attention. "At least, wait until you're better and then we can all think about it rationally."

"Yeah, right now just get better," Iris took David's chair and sat down. "Hey," the smirk on her face warned Belén subjects were about to change and fast, "is it true that the Red Streak was there?"

Unknowingly, the STAR Labs employees nervously looked at each other.

Belén broadly smiled and nodded her head. "In the end, he was there." She saw no harm in telling Iris of the Red Streak's appearance of that moment.

"Really? What was he like? What does he look like?"

"Iris-" Barry shot her a warning look, "-she needs to rest."

"It's fine," Belén assured him, chuckling. "Iris, he's completely red. Like, this amazing shade of crimson."

Iris laughed. "I figured. Did he talk to you? Did you say anything?"

"Thank you," Belén said like it were obvious. "He saved me, so naturally that was my response."

"I would love to meet him," Iris playfully nudged Belén. "You got to meet him."

"Get kidnapped and you can meet him too," Belén giggled to herself and turned her head.

Caitlin smiled in amusement. "I think the drugs are making effect again."

"Bells," Barry called to her quietly, not wanting to scare her, "I'm sorry you were taken."

Belén gave him a look. "It's all Carlton's fault -  _he_  kidnapped me." A small smile spread across her lips. "You know, a log time ago, Carlton said the Particle Accelerator would bring nothing good. He was wrong. It brought me new, incredible friends. I met Cisco, I met Caitlin and I met you, Barry."

"And it gave us a new hero, too," Iris added in.

Belén hummed in agreement. "You're all my good things."

"Belén, you probably need to sleep," Cisco chuckled at her loopiness.

"Cisco, don't ever tell a girl what she needs to do," she playfully narrowed her eyes at him. "Besides, now that I'm on basic house arrest, that's probably all I'll be doing."

"Don't forget your tutoring," Barry reminded.

Belén groaned and shut her eyes. "Don't talk about Biology tonight, Barry,  _please_."

"No, no, it's fine. Look what I got!" he fumbled to pull something from jeans' pocket.

"Are those... _Legos_?" Iris scowled at Barry.

Belén seemed to understand instantly the intent of said Legos. "You brought the visuals…" she giggled.

"What?" Iris asked again, looking to Cisco and Caitlin for some explanation, but they were both blank of information as well.

"Now there'll be no excuse for you not to understand Biology," Barry mocked a warning.

Belén lightly laughed again, but her eyes grew tired soon after. "If you don't mind...I'm just...I'm just going to close my eyes...for a little bit..."

Her friends smiled as she fell asleep under the new dosage of medical drugs.


	7. Without Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity Smoak visits Central City and unknowingly causes turmoil between Belén and Barry and STAR Labs. To end it, Belén makes a big decision.

"It's the same stuff," Caitlin concluded with a scrunched up nose. She, along with the the other three usual visitors of STAR Labs were staring at a computer screen on the wall holding the results of a scan Barry had brought in for them.

"Remnants of...play-doh? I still don't understand," Cisco leaned forwards on the desk, squinting his eyes at the clear results on the screen. "This is my gumbo girl? I mean...this is what she  _produces_?"

Barry was the only one standing near the screen on the wall. He had his arms crossed and a very thoughtful expression on his face. "Her name is Plasticine, and her powers are...gruesome." He thought back to the moment in which he saw the woman practically asphyxiate Carlton by forcing her 'purple gumbo' down his throat. "I ran the same test a while ago for a different case. I thought it looked familiar so I compared it to this new one I took from the scene of Carlton's murder and it's an exact match. It was her. Plasticine."

"That's not the name I would've chosen," Cisco mumbled.

"She was there when I tried rescuing Belén, and she was very serious when she threatened me to stop being a 'hero'."

"It's natural for a metahuman to feel intimidated by another whose becoming a well known lifesaver," Wells tried to be reasonable.

"She wasn't like the others, though," Barry turned back to the three. "This one was put together. She didn't look like a crazy one I fight every now and then. She came with a plan that day, I just haven't figured out what it was."

Cisco pulled up the information he'd gathered on Plasticine over time. "There's been plenty of sightings of this woman around the city but no real pattern - well, she appears for a couple of robberies then disappears. She also doesn't tend to leave behind injured nor dead." Caitlin scoffed and threw him a sharp look that told him he should reconsider that detail. "Alright, well, she used to."

"Well, whatever her tactics are, we need to find her and put her away before she does hurt someone," Wells said, eyeing Barry's strangely pensive stance. "Something else on your mind, Mr. Allen?"

"...yeah," Barry nodded, tone suddenly quiet. "When I had to go back to the crime scene of Plasticine & Carlton to take evidence, I saw these...cut up vines sprawled around."

"Probably from the mess you all made when you were fighting," Cisco said obviously.

"I would think so too, except there was no plants nearby. The room wasn't even properly furnished. I took samples and it was weird because the results were parts of an Azalea flower."

"Azalea?" went Cisco and Caitlin, both of their minds quickly recalling the person that most loved the flower.

"When I got there, as the Streak, Bells was standing in a defense stance against Carlton…" Barry continued, but his suspicion had been pretty much voiced out already, "...I didn't think about it in that moment...but…"

"Are you trying to say that...you think...you think  _Belén's_...a... _metahuman_ …?" Cisco practically gaped at him, the disbelief written on his face. He had never once thought about since he met Belén. She was just so... _normal_. It couldn't be.

"It could be a possibility…"

"No!" Cisco shook his head. "I think we would have noticed! The  _hospital_  would've noticed when she was last brought in."

"Not if someone covered it up," Caitlin interjected, thinking it crazy to even be talking about this but then again what wasn't crazy nowadays?

"Nina," Barry quickly pointed. "It would have to be Nina! She took care of Bells from the moment she was hit by the Particle Accelerator explosion, and this recent kidnapping. If Bells does have these abilities then Nina is in on it."

"Do you think that's why...Belén has been having these weak moments, then?" Caitlin suddenly asked, making everyone think back to these moments of 'dizziness' and weakness that they'd witnessed Belén have. Each time she would just discard it as student's burnout, sleepless nights, or lack of sleep.

"If she does possess abilities they could have very well come with side-effects like Barry," Wells joined in. "But if they have continued on without the proper help they could be turning more severe for her."

"Wait a minute," Cisco finally spoke above everyone else, still refusing to accept Barry's theory, "We're not even sure this is a thing - that Bells actually has powers."

"Then we need to confirm it," Barry declared.

"How?"

"Blood test?" Caitlin found herself suggesting. "If in theory she does possess these nature abilities then it would surely leave a mark in her blood." Cisco gave her a disbelieving look. "I'm only saying," she raised her hands in defense.

"The hospital would have her most recent tests," Barry theorized and glanced at Wells. "Dr. Wells, what do you say? Can we do it?"

Wells smiled, in his mind the only thing that buzzed was the fact they were nearing another milestone in the time line he already knew of. "I told you from the beginning, Barry, no one was ever holding you back from telling Belén. Though I do caution in telling her what you plan to do. Most people don't like being scanned without their knowledge."

Barry nodded, no doubt in his mind this would cause trouble later for him. But right now he only cared about discovering the truth. If Belén really was suffering from side affects of her metahuman abilities she needed to get the adequate help from STAR Labs.

~ 0 ~

"And things are just getting more and more annoying," Iris huffed loudly like a child would when their parent refused to buy them a toy. Belén just smiled as they turned for the corridor in which her professor's office was located. "I mean, you'd think being twenty five would give me a little more of adult behavior with my dad but he just refuses to talk to me ever since I told him about Eddie and I."

"Em, Iris, I think your dad is more upset by the fact you kept your relationship a secret from him."

Iris stopped and forced Belén to do so just a couple steps ahead of her. "You're supposed to be on  _my_  side."

"I would be, but…"

"Belén!"

"It's like…" Belén tried coming up with a comparison, "...when I was a high school junior, I had this boyfriend and he was the total bad boy-"

" _Bells_ ," Iris smirked at her, making Belén laugh, embarrassed.

"It was a phase," she waved Iris off and continued with her story, "Anyways, my Dad warned me to stay away from him. So when he found out and I tried making my argument he gave me the cold shoulder for an entire month. He wasn't mad that I dated the guy, he was mad that I did it behind his back."

"I get the comparison, but I just can't get over the fact you dated a bad boy," Iris laughed, "I didn't know you had it in you…"

"Iris, it was just a phase," Belén looked away, completely blushing.

"Oh, I know, without a doubt," Iris said matter of factly. "Your type is more of the nerdy kind, hence you dating my Chemistry buddy-"

"He was hot," Belén shrugged.

"He was a  _dork_ ," Iris rolled her eyes.

"Leave George alone."

"Oh, you know I love the guy, but it doesn't change what he was. Oh, and then there was the math genius from our Statistics class."

"Okay that one was because of  _you_ , remember?  _You_  set us up on a blind date!"

"I remember," Iris smirked with utter pride at her Cupid game turning out to be a complete success. "And let's not forget you almost dating Cisco, aka a STAR Lab genius. What is it with you?"

"I figured if I'm stupid I might as well date someone smart," Belén joked then knocked on her professor's office door. "Give my kids a chance, you know..." she laughed to herself.

"Well...thinking about dating anyone else right now?" Iris discreetly asked, pretending to inspect something on her index nail.

"Not sure," Belén answered with unusual quietness. "I mean, with Cisco I had to say no in the end because-"

"Because you guys were just friends, yeah - I know the story," Iris reminded.

"Yeah, but apart from that I think I'm just a little traumitized from what happened with Carlton."

"And since that was  _before_ he kidnapped you..." Iris didn't even want to imagine how Belén felt thinking about her latest experiences.

"Now that he did kidnap me...let's just say it's little more complicated thinking about dating someone," Belén released a sigh. "I'm properly scared."

"Miss Palayta," a bright ginger-haired man finally opened up to her, "Here for your final?"

Belén was nervous to receive her final grade for Biology - her last class required to graduate - and gave a meek 'yes' to her professor. "I'll be just a minute," she told Iris then followed her professor inside.

Iris went over to some waiting chairs they kept nearby and pulled her cellphone to pass the time. As of late, nearly all her notifications were of the Streak that people happened to see. She couldn't help be drawn to the mysterious sights in the city. First it was the burning man, then the weather dudes, not to mention the guy that apparently turned into gas? There were only two recurring masked people - the Streak and the purple woman who occasionally robbed people. It was just one big mystery that no one was taking serious for some reason. That's why she was taking it upon herself to doc and report these mysterious people for the world to be in the know.

"Iris!" Belén squealed and came rushing out of the office, probably uncaring of the childish manner she was carrying herself with. "I passed! I actually passed!"

"You did?" Iris blinked, then felt guilty for it. Belén was too engrossed with the news to take notice of it. She waved her final exam in Iris' face, nearly smothering her with it.

"I did! Annah-Belén Palayta - that's me," Belén pointed to herself, "passed Biology with a freaking B!"

Iris laughed and pulled her friend down the hallway. She took the exam into her hands and looked at nearly all the correct answers marked. "Wow, you actually understood them...and no guessing?"

"No guessing!"

"Bells, this is it: it's the apocalypse," Iris said, dead serious. "That's it. We're all doomed now."

"Shut up!" Belén snatched her exam back, laughing again. "This just proves that Barry is actually good at teaching - oh! Barry! I need to go see him!" she turned to Iris. "I have to show him this!"

"He's probably at the station - there was another crime scene today," Iris explained, but Belén had only heard the first part.

"C'mon!" She hurried away.

~ 0 ~

As Iris suspected, Barry was in the station taking care of a recent robbery's evidence left behind. He jumped in his stool when he heard the loud call of his name.

"Bells?" He barely had gotten up when Belén and Iris showed up.

"Barry, Belén has something to tell you," Iris said in an amused tone, not even caring that her voice had been downplayed by Belén's loud one.

"I passed!" the ombre-blonde woman excitedly went across the room. "I passed my Biology's final exam!"

"Wow, that's great!" Barry laughed and got up to meet her.

"I got an actual B!"

It took a minute for it to sink in Barry's mind that his tutoring had actually helped someone, and for someone who had gone from a very low grade to a...a B!

"You got...you got...an actual..B?"

"Mhm!" Belén nodded her head, once again putting her exam in front of her so that someone else would see. She was barely containing her laugh, her feet even struggling to remain still and not bop up and down.

"You passed!" Barry exclaimed, seeming as if this was the first time he'd heard. "Congratulations!"

Belén finally laughed again and threw her arms around his neck for a hug. "I know!" In the moment, Barry had gave her a small spin.

Iris raised her eyebrows, bemused and surprised at the same time. God, she should have entered that bet with Caitlin, Cisco and Wells.

"This is completely fantastic, Bells," Barry set her back on her feet and pulled away. "I'm so happy for you, honest."

"I'm going to be graduating now," Belén said happily. "I'm going to walk the stage and get my diploma - finally! And you're coming," she suddenly warned, glancing back at Iris with the same warning finger, "And so are you."

"We're there," Iris assured her friend, and abruptly came up with her own idea. "Hey, why don't we have dinner today? In celebration?"

"Oh, we can invite Caitlin and Cisco," Barry added, Belén already nodding in agreement.

"I would love that!"

"I'll set it up," Iris offered up, laughing. She hadn't seen Belén so happy in such a long time, and sure wanted it to stay this way.

"I gotta go," Belén started backtracking from Barry. "I promised my Dad I would only go to the campus for my grade. I'll talk to him about dinner though," she looked to Iris. "I'm sure he won't mind."

"I'll text you," Iris pointed.

"Okay!" Belén squealed again. "I think I'll pass by Rayan's altar at the park and thank him."

The last comment faded both Iris' and Barry's smiles. But Belén didn't seem to notice as she rushed off.

"Do you think she's honestly stopped looking for Rayan?" Iris turned to Barry, the happy atmosphere leaving along with Belén.

"Well…" Barry sat back down at his computer desk.

Even with Belén's house arrest, their meetings between civilian and the Streak hadn't stopped. But things were not the same anymore. Belén looked overly scared whenever he touched the subject of her brother. He hammered her what was wrong, who was threatening her, but she refused to say. At one point, she declared she was no longer going to investigate. She had 'accepted' the fact Rayan was dead and she needed to move on.

That day, Barry had been so confused and concerned that he had actually appeared in her backyard (though he had checked for her father's whereabouts first). There he insisted to know why she was all of a sudden giving up on the case.

* * *

_"I just don't get it, you asked for help," Barry was saying to a distressed Belén, as the Streak of course._

_"Technically, **you**  came to  **me**!" Belén exclaimed, near tears._

_"Bells! This isn't a joke!" Barry couldn't help get angry when she refused to open up._

_"You're right, it's not," Belén sniffed, her gaze falling for a minute. "None of this is, and that's why it's got to stop. Stop helping me and just go back to saving others. Please."_

_"You can't expect me to just leave this place when you're practically begging me not to help with those eyes full of fear." Barry walked towards her, but even then Belén was scared enough to backtrack the steps he took._

_"If you don't stop - if **I**  don't stop...then they're gonna go after my friends and family," Belén finally confessed, her lip quivering. Barry froze. "This woman, in purple, she-she threatened me. She said my brother was dead and that if I continued to look into his case my friends and family would be hurt. You see? I can't...I can't let anything happen to them."_

_"This woman - was she dressed in purple?" Barry went about it gently._

_"Mhm," Belén nodded her head, wiping her face of loose tears. "Please, don't ask me to continue when I don't want to. Because I really don't...I'm scared."_

_And Barry could very well confirm that from his spot._

* * *

Had Belén really stopped looking for her brother? Barry was sure anymore. What he was sure of was her deep fear of anyone getting hurt because of her. That probably deferred her searches for some time.

"Possibly," he finally responded to Iris' question.

"I think we should keep a close eye on her," Iris didn't fail to warn. She walked up to the desk and set her bag down.

"Speaking of keeping a close eye on someone...Iris, is there something you want to tell me?" Barry raised an eyebrow, making Iris wonder what she'd done wrong (again). She was tired of having to come up with explanations for her actions. "Like what, Barry? There's many things going on in my life at the moment-"

"Your new  _blog_ ," Barry gave her a look. He'd come to the unpleasant surprise of Iris' new blog thanks to Eddie, who wasn't so keen on the idea of his girlfriend keeping up a blog of the Streak.

"Oh, you're against it too?" Iris deeply exhaled.

"Eddie told me about it and honestly I don't think it's such a good idea…"

"But why not?" Iris challenged him. "I mean, the Streak is out there and people want to know. Plus, there's plenty of other people with these...these  _powers_ , that I think people should know more about."

"Take it from someone who's been investigating the impossible since they were 11. Blogging about this is only gonna bring the crazies to your front door."

Iris rolled her eyes. "My blog is anonymous."

"All right, well, anonymous or not, it's not safe," Barry reiterated. He wished Iris could be more like Belén who kept quiet on the secrets of the city, mostly because she was shy but it was still a good trait. "You never know what kind of weirdos are out there trolling on the internet."

"I can vouch for that," a different voice, unknown to Iris, spoke up from the doorway of the lab. Iris turned around, and Barry stood up seeing the familiar blonde woman with glasses. "The internet is full of weirdos and nerd rage... Lots and lots of nerd rage," the blonde went on with a wide smile.

"Uh...Barry?" Iris felt it was the only thing she could say, considering the familiar looks being exchanged between the two.

"Hi," the blonde walked up to the two, extending a hand to Iris. "Felicity Smoak."

Iris shook her hand, politely replying back with her own name. "Iris West."

"Barry Allen," Barry awkwardly inputted his own name, chuckling afterwards. "But you both already knew that. Felicity is…"

"The girl that you met in Starling City, the computerer, right?" Iris recalled vaguely the details of that secret trip Barry had taken long ago. "You two worked on one of Barry's unexplainable cases."

Felicity nodded. "Which, long story short, was definitely explainable." She backtracked a couple of steps till she stood just under the canopy. "So the lightning came through here?"

"Uh, yeah," Barry nodded. As Felicity continued to talk, mostly with Iris, Barry would continuously send discreet looks towards his computer...which was running a blood scan of Belén.

~ 0 ~

Unfortunately, Barry hadn't been able to finish the blood scan because he had taken Felicity out to the sightings (on good account of Iris). He liked having Felicity around, she was probably the only woman who understood his 'nerd talks' as Iris put it...but at the moment there were more pressing matters than catching up. He just didn't want to be rude.

"Barry?" Felicity's voice cut into his thoughts. The blonde woman had stopped walking and turned to him after realizing she wasn't exactly being heard.

"Sorry," Barry shook his head and focused on where he was now.

They were strolling through the city park, which was packed as was usual. Barry felt guilty for having to ask Felicity to repeat herself because he wasn't listening.

Felicity laughed at him, crossing her arms. "What's with you, Barry Allen? The quiet, pensive guy is definitely  _not_  the guy I met in Starling."

"Sorry, Felicity," Barry sheepishly smiled. "Lot's happened since then…"

"Mhm," Felicity nodded, suspiciously looking at him.

"What are you really doing here? I mean, it's good to see you, but do you and Oliver need something, or…"

"No, no, I came because I heard you were out of the coma and I figured that you would've called…" She raised an eyebrow then, a playful scolding look taking over her features. "...but you didn't."

Barry winced at her hard tone, scratching his head. "Right-"

"And when you  _did_ -" Felicity hadn't been quite finished which again made him wince again, "-I was a little bit disappointed it was because you wanted me hack into some girl's cellphone."

"Riiiight…" Barry awkwardly put his best smile forth.

"Right," Felicity mimicked his tone before playfully whacking him on the arm. "That was not cool, Barry Allen! There I was worrying over you in your coma and only getting a forceful call from you months later!"

"It was for a very good cause!" Barry promised her.

"Like what, exactly?" Felicity leaned on her hip, arms once again crossed. "One of your vigilante missions needed higher help?"

"Yeah, actually, it did - wait," Barry froze and stared at the blonde a long while. "You...you...know…"

Felicity rolled her eyes and once again whacked him. "Of course I know. First of all, I heard you and Oliver talking on that rooftop in Starling City that night. And then you kinda get confirmation after being mysteriously asked to help hack into a cell phone."

"I'm sorry-"

"I want to see it," Felicity blurted with excitement...until she realized how they may have come out. "And by 'it' I mean your speed, in case you thought I was talking about something else, which I... which I was not. Okay."

Barry chuckled. "Okay," he assured, "you see that building?" he nodded over to a random tall building across the park.

"Uh-huh," Felicity nodded and turned to face in its direction.

"Keep your eyes on it." Barry smiled and sped off, leaving his usual wind behind. Felicity watched in amazement as the orangey red flash went around the top of the building. Before she knew it, Barry had come back and was holding his cellphone.

"You took a picture of me?" Felicity gaped and snatched the phone from him. "From the top of that building?"

"Yeah. Don't instagram that!"

"Unbelievable," Felicity looked up from the phone and laughed, until she saw the ground. "Uh, your shoes are smoking."

Barry quickly looked at his sneakers which were indeed smoking from the run. "That... that's fine. It's... it happens sometimes." He stomped to kill the smoke and then exhaled deeply. "It's why I have a friction-proof suit."

"Where did you get that?" Felicity curiously wondered.

"I'll show you," Barry took her hand and together they walked off towards STAR Labs.

Barry could have never realized he had been watched the entire time.

Feeling an overwhelming anger flourish inside, Belén crumpled her final exam in her hands. She had come to the park to see her brother's altar at the fountain but boy-oh-boy look at what she had gotten instead.

Barry Allen...running at light speed…

Almost growling, Belén stormed away.

~ 0 ~

Barry had taken Felicity to STAR Labs for her to see what really went on in the city. It was safe to say she was impressed.

"And this is where my team monitors the police bands for criminal activity. We can track anything that's happening in the city. Check this out. We've got our own satellite."

Felicity slyly smiled. "I know. You forget I've hacked into it from time to time."

Caitlin and Cisco came to greet the new visitor, who wasn't so new thanks to a wild adventure they had before meeting Barry.

"It is, of course, so wonderful to see you again, Felicity," Caitlin nervously smiled, "I'm just wondering how much of our operation she needs to know about."

"I'm really good at keeping secrets," Felicity winked, meaning to stay secretive but apparently Barry had other ideas.

"Yeah, Felicity works with The Arrow."

"Sweet!" Cisco beamed in delight, while Caitlin expressed her surprise in silence.

"And you apparently are not," Felicity shot Barry a disapproving look for his loose tongue.

"Now it's all making sense. You know who The Arrow is," Cisco said to Felicity before realizing something else. "Wait, do you-" he pointed at Barry, "-know who The Arrow is?"

"Uh... Let's just say that my team has a similar set up," Felicity gestured to the lab room, "but with... More pointy objects."

"Welcome, Ms. Smoak," Dr. Wells surprised her with his mere presence.

"Dr. Wells?" She pointed at him as if he weren't real. " _The_  Dr. Wells?"

"Please, call me Harrison, Felicity."

"Oh, you know who I am?"

Wells smiled as he came into the room, listing Felicity's accomplishments by memory. "Ranked second in the national informative technology competition at age 19, graduated M.I.T. With masters degree in cyber security and computer sciences. I know who you are. I keep an eye out for promising talent in scientific fields. It's what brought me Cisco, Caitlin, and I foresaw great things from you."

"Speaking of great things, want to see something cool?" Barry smirked towards Felicity, who couldn't help wonder what he had in mind.

Time later, the team had set up for one of Barry's practice runs on the treadmill. While the STAR Labs monitored him, Felicity watched from the side.

"How fast can he run?" she asked the others.

"He hasn't reached his top speed yet, theoretically speaking," Dr. Wells replied.

"So is he really okay?"

"His heart rate is within normal range for him," Caitlin added as a comfort, but Felicity wasn't taking it.

"No, I mean, the lightning bolt changed him. Do any of you really know how much?"

"We know a fair amount," Cisco tried to sound sure but of course there couldn't be a 100% assurance they knew all of Barry's altered genes and what the consequences would be.

"If everything about him is sped up, is he going to age faster? What would happen if he ran too fast? I mean, would he just be running, and then, poof, he's dust in a red costume?

"Everything we do here at S.T.A.R. Labs is to protect Barry Allen," Dr. Wells said. "Trust us, Felicity, he is in very good hands here."

"Want to see how fast I can run backwards?" Barry called from the other room, but almost instantly he crashed into the boxes set up against the wall for such accidents.

"Don't worry," Caitlin sheepishly smiled at Felicity who had become severely concerned, "He heals quickly too."

Felicity bit the nail of her index finger, baffled by such normality this entire thing was being taken with. Then again, where she worked the things were just as abnormal so maybe she shouldn't be so concerned.

When Barry had recovered from the small accident - and stocked the boxes back in their spots - they returned to the cortex.

"This entire place is amazing," Felicity chuckled. "I've always heard talks about it but I never thought I would see it from the inside."

"Same," Barry laughed alongside her.

" _Same_ ," went a third voice, and one that left everyone except Felicity frozen in their spots. Belén was taking a look at the room from the threshold, acting as if it were the first time she stepped foot in there. "You know," she bitterly laughed to herself, forcing her tears to stay inside, "I blame myself for being so... _stupid_!"

Felicity slowly observed the reactions in each of the people in the room. She didn't have the slightest idea of what was going on but she knew it wouldn't be ending good judging by the faces she saw.

"Bells," Barry made a step towards her but she ragingly pointed at him.

" _You_  stay where you are!" she warned. "You-you liar!"

"No, I was-"

"Be quiet!" Belén exclaimed, her eyes flickering to Caitlin and Cisco. "Now it makes sense, the both of you were lying to me the entire time. This is why you guys always looked so nervous when I walked in...the faces of guilt."

"Don't blame them," Barry finally got to cut in. "They were just following my decision. I asked them not to say anything so if there's anyone to be mad at it's  _me_."

Belén crossed her arms, nodding her head. " _Fine_ ," she spat. "It goes without saying, though, dinner's cancelled."

"No - Belén!" Barry went after her, leaving a tensed atmosphere behind.

"Uhh…?" Felicity turned to the remaining three. "Who...was that?"

"Reason Barry called you before," Cisco deeply sighed.

"That's hacked girl?" Felicity jerked a thumb towards the spot where Belén had been. "I gave her a name," she shrugged after getting strange looks.

"She wasn't supposed to know," Caitlin briefly explained, thinking Barry would eventually get to it on his own.

"Though perhaps becoming her secret helper wasn't one of Barry's brightest ideas," Dr. Wells added with an unsurprised sigh. It wasn't like he foreseen the two ever learning about their true identities.

Oh, wait...

~ 0 ~

Belén flexed her hands as she waited for the elevator to come up. "Not now, don't you dare..." she checked her hands and saw spots of emerald green. "Go away!"

"B-Bells! Belén!" Barry called and she immediately crossed her arms to hide her hands from him.

"Should of used your lightning speed to catch up with me!" she angrily turned on him. "Oh wait, you were too busy keeping it a secret from me, right!"

"Look, Bells, I'm sorry-"

"No, you're not! You're only sorry you got caught!"

"That's not true!"

"Oh please! If I hadn't caught you today at the park then you would've never put yourself in front of me to tell me the truth!"

Barry stayed quiet for a minute, staring hard at her. She was wrong, she was absolutely wrong. He would've - eventually - told her. Sure it wouldn't have been soon but he would've told her one day when he felt confident enough.

"You are cruel," Belén continued on with her accusations. "You must have laughed at me many times after our meetings. Oh, I was a good entertainer I suppose."

"It was never a game, Bells," Barry said quietly. "Me helping you with your brother's case was something important to me too."

"By lying?" Belén arched an eyebrow. "You lied straight to my face! You knew how important this Streak was to me and you let me…" she paused, now feeling completely embarrassed, "... _talk_  about him like you weren't him. Your ego must have soared." Her voice lowered and signaled to what level her rage had reached. "I'm done with you."

"Belén!" Barry called but the elevator dinged open and she walked right in, still hiding her hands.

"Don't you dare follow me or I swear to God I will punch you in the face!"

Odds were, he would be punched. Barry remained right where he was and upheld her stare until the elevator closed and she was gone.

Belén had surprisingly gotten fast into her car, although perhaps most of her hastiness arised from the uncontrollable feeling she felt inside. As soon as she got into her car, she breathed rapidly in and out, balling her fists, forcing the feeling to stay inside.

"Calm down, calm down, calm down," she repeated to herself with eyes screwed shut, her face began to sport blotches of green as well, but with her focus it would shift between it and her normal skin.

~ 0 ~

"I just can't believe it!" Belén was now stomping back and forth in Nina's apartment. "He lied to me this entire time! He had me meeting him like an idiot that I am! Can you believe that, Nina!?"

The older woman was calmly sitting on her couch, reading the day's newspaper while occasionally taking a sip of her coffee. She had let Belén vent for the last hour or so, figuring it was best if there was to be some sort of resolution afterwards.

"It's all very surprising, Belén," Nina said but her tone didn't exactly portray much interest.

"Nina," Belén huffed and faced her friend, her hands on her hips, "Did you listen to anything that I just said?"

"I got the jist," Nina shrugged, glancing sideways, "Barry Allen is the Streak you have been meeting so secretly with."

"And you say it like that? All calm?"

Nina shrugged and went back to reading the newspaper.

"I don't like being lied to! And that's exactly what Barry did - what  _everyone_  did to me! They lied!"

"Bells, if Barry decided not to tell you then you can't go and blame the others for not spilling a secret that wasn't theirs to tell in the first place."

Belén puffed and looked away, hating the fact Nina was right on that one.

"And-" Nina tilted her head, "-are you forgetting the fact  _you_  are hiding your powers from him too?"

"There is a strict different, Nina."

"Let me hear it."

Belén angrily returned her gaze to the woman. "When I discovered my powers I thought that I was alone. Barry, Caitlin and Cisco were all normal to me. They were people who wouldn't understand what I had become. I was scared - I  _am_  scared - but Barry knew the entire time of these people with powers like us. If he had come to me, as Barry and not the Streak, and told me about his powers then I would have had the courage to confide in him as well.  _That_  is the difference."

Nina sighed and shifted on the couch to fully face Belén. "That's...understandable."

"Hell yes."

"But it doesn't the change the fact you're still hiding it from him now."

"Nina!"

"If you're going to be angry with someone who's in the same situation as you are you need to see it how it is."

"I don't know how you're taking this so calmly," Belén rubbed her temples, already feeling a headache beginning to form. "You realize you could've gotten help as well, right?"

Nina raised her eyebrows and lightly sighed. "You forget I don't use my powers. I don't want them."

"But don't you see?" Belén walked up to her. "If Barry told me, then I-"

"You could have said nothing," Nina sternly told her. "Because that would've been Barry's secret, and you - being his friend - would not have said anything to me about it. See? You just saw what it's like being Caitlin and Cisco. You don't tell other people's secret. So cross them off from your hit list."

Belén was left standing in the living room to think as Nina got up to head into her kitchen with her empty coffee cup.

~ 0 ~

When Barry and Felicity walked into Jitters, Iris was already half expecting them - or more specifically Barry. She walked up to them with that raised head action that told Barry she was probably in the loop of what occurred earlier. He just wondered how much in the loop she was.

"Hey, you two," Iris greeted politely for Felicity's sake. For Barry, there was no escaping the icy look she was sending. "Has Barry been showing you some of the sights in Central City?" she asked of Felicity.

Felicity smiled. "Yes, I have seen some pretty amazing things." She decided to leave out the little drama moment she witnessed.

"Really...hm…" Iris nodded her head, her gaze still locked with Barry's.

Felicity could feel the tension that was rising and wanted to be no part of it. "You know what, I'm gonna go call work, check in, make sure everything's okay. I'll be back in a second."

Iris smiled gracefully as the blonde left, and the moment she was gone she promptly smacked Barry on the arm.

"Ow!" went the metahuman, his hand flinging to his rub his injured arm.

"You want to explain to me why Belén cancelled dinner tonight?" Iris got straight to the point, finally expressing her true irritation with him. "And don't you dare lie to me and say you don't know! She sounded very upset and more so when I mentioned  _your_  name! What did you do, Barry Allen?"

"Nothing," Barry raised his hands. It was clear Belén hadn't told Iris of the reason why she was upset with him - and for that he was eternally thankful - so Barry would need to come up with a plausible reason.

"I have a tray, and I'm not afraid to use it," Iris backed up to the counter where there was indeed a circular tray sitting there. "I had plans and she cancelled them based on some stupid excuse."

"Which was…?"

"That's not the important thing here," Iris snapped and ignored the low 'sorry' from Barry. "I'm confused. Earlier you two looked better than ever and now she doesn't even want to see you? What's going on?"

"...stuff," Barry found himself able to say.

"Stuff?" Iris raised an eyebrow, her glare turning dangerous.

"Yes."

"That's what you're sticking with?  _Stuff_?"

"...yes?"

Iris deeply breathed in, raising her hands in defeat as she went behind the counter. Barry came to stand to the side and watched her intently.

"What are you doing?" he curiously asked.

"Since you're being a child and Bells is being obscure, I'm going to settle this myself." Iris had grabbed her cellphone from her bag and waved it at him as a final warning.

"Iris, please…" Barry sighed. He understood Iris was just trying to help - in her own Iris way - but this was not exactly helping.

"Bup," Iris pointed a finger at him as she waited for the line she called for to be answered. With a huff, Barry walked off. He met Felicity who'd come out of the bathroom then.

"So, how bad was it?" She looked towards the counter as they walked out of the place, seeing Iris was busily speaking with someone.

"She scolded me, like badly," Barry sighed.

"This girl is really important then," Felicity smiled to herself, "For everyone to be this upset, I mean…"

"Mhm…"

They were now walking down the street, no destination for the moment.

"And that was the girl that made you finally remember I existed?"

"Felicity...I...I'm sorry," Barry thought this was turning into another round of scolds so he decided to skip to the last part where he said his apologies and hoped everything would get better.

"I'm over that, honestly," Felicity assured him, "She's pretty, I can see the urgency to find her. Because, that's why you were trying to hack into her phone right? Not to see her pictures or anything…"

"No," Barry crinkled his nose, "No. Belén was having a stalker problem and the cellphone was important to find him- which we did, by the way."

"Ah," Felicity nodded with understanding, "I see. Well, I'm glad I was of service. And I guess I'll have to thank Belén myself for you calling."

Barry understood her implication just by her look and had to stop it before she actually went ahead and did something. "No, Felicity, this isn't your problem. I messed up and I have to fix it."

"I could help. I mean, I'm no expert but I do have some experience in discovering people's secret identities as vigilantes. Maybe I could talk to her..."

"No, I get the feeling I'll be seeing her later today anyways."

"Why do you said that?"

"Two words," Barry raised two fingers, "Iris West."

~ 0 ~

Things at STAR Labs had only gotten worse after Belén's appearance. Cisco had discovered that something was missing from the building, a very important something that could lead to disastrous consequences. Having no choice, he came clean to Dr. Wells. Now he, Wells and Caitlin had moved to one of the storage rooms where his missing 'something' had originally been placed in. The shelf was left open and had an empty compartment in the middle.

"How long has it been missing?" Wells demanded in a very low, yet eerily dark, tone.

"I don't know," Cisco replied feebly.

Caitlin stood inside the room, off to the side with her hands behind her back. She honestly could not remember a time where she felt this much tension in one room - and that was saying something after all that had happened as of late.

"I'm gonna ask you again, Cisco," Wells warned. "But when I do, I expect a more specific answer than 'I don't know'. Now, how long has this weapon been gone?"

"A day, maybe two. One of the janitors didn't show up for work this morning. He was probably the one who took it. I didn't think that…"

"You  _didn't_  think, because if you  _had_ , you would have discussed with me first your desire to build something that could, in theory, hurt anyone, and in particular, Barry Allen."

"I'm sorry. If you just let me explain…"

"You know how I feel about weapons, Cisco. They do not belong in S.T.A.R. Labs. Now, you are gonna figure out a way to locate this gun, and you are gonna do it right now."

Caitlin cleared her throat and spoke after Dr. Wells had left them. "This thing you built, what can it do?"

Cisco shuddered a breath. "Bad stuff."

~ 0 ~

Jitters was hosting a trivial afternoon event that of course Iris was attending - there was a chance for free coffee! But, most importantly, it served as the perfect setting for some information and talking...by force, of course.

Because she was sure that if this wasn't an event, Belén would have never showed up.

Sitting at a table was Iris herself with Eddie beside her. Barry, who'd been lured in a similar manner (without yet knowing it) sat across them, looking rather bored. He had left Felicity in her hotel room because of this very important thing that Iris had said to him over the phone. Though, Felicity already had a good idea that was a lie but Barry was the last to figure it out.

"I can't believe you got us to come to this thing," Eddie, seemingly mortified, huffed and shook his head.

"Oh, shush!" Iris laughed and nudged him. "It's for a good cause."

"Free coffee is not a good cause, Iris," Barry gave her a look.

Iris rolled her eyes. "Would it kill you both to be a little more cheerful?" She gestured to the very much lively environment they were in, hoping they would catch on it was all about the smiles and laughs.

"I don't understand why  _I'm_  here," Barry raised a hand. "I don't feel like being a third wheel."

Before Iris opened her mouth to explain, she saw Belén walking in. "That's why you're here," she pointed to Belén who immediately saw the three at the table.

"Oh, you didn't," Barry slapped a hand over his face.

"I told you I would deal with this," Iris smugly said and motioned to Belén she was being waited on.

Belén stopped by the side of the table and exchanged a hard look with Barry. "I'm here because someone said they wanted to talk -  _Iris_." The hard look was shifted towards Iris who did not falter against it like Barry had.

"Yes, sit down," Iris gestured to the spot beside Barry.

"No." Belén said smoothly, pretending to flick something off her blouse.

"Annah-Belén don't you dare leave this place because you know I  _will_  find you," Iris warned and once again pointed for her to sit down.

Belén pursed her lips as she slid into her chair. " _What_  do you want?" her thick voice demanded.

"Well, this couldn't be more awkward," Eddie mumbled under his breath.

"What is going on with you two?" Iris asked of her and Barry, watching how they uncomfortably looked away from each other.

"Ask Barry," Belén muttered.

"Bells," Barry sighed.

"I no longer use that nickname."

"Oh c'mon! Don't you think you're being a little overdramatic-"

" _Excuse_   _me_?" Belén finally turned to Barry, and it was with such a glower that even Iris backed off for a minute. "You're calling me  _overdramatic_  now? Seriously?  _I'm_ the one with the problem?"

"I didn't mean it like that," Barry tried to mend his poor choice of words fast but even his speed was not enough to combat Belén.

"You messed up big time, Barry Allen, and I will not so easily forget it.  _I'm_  not that one that lied so don't come at me for reacting the way that I am because  _you_ brought it on yourself. And do you know what-"

"Hey," Iris finally cut in, looking completely baffled by the exchange among the two.

Belén flushed momentarily and straightened herself up. "I'm sorry," she directed that apology towards Iris and Eddie. "I'm only staying for you two...and cos I actually do want that free coffee…" she added with a small smile.

~ 0 ~

Nina was coming into work at the hospital when one of her co-workers, a slightly younger man named Will, stopped her midway down a hall.

"Nina, I was taking care of some things with the blood testing room and I noticed a patient's sample was missing."

"Yeah, who?" Nina crossed her arms. She didn't recall ordering a recent blood test from any of their patients that day. Then again, there were some newbie nurses who still hadn't gotten with the process.

"Your friend's, the one that got kidnapped, remember? Talks kinda fast?"

Nina furrowed her brow, almost like she wasn't believing it. "What? I...I didn't take the blood. It should still be there. I was meant to get back to her for some results..."

"Well it's not there," Will promised her.

"No," Nina walked past him, sprinting towards the room. Will had to be wrong because she had personally made sure nothing of Belén's was touched nor examined. It was key for her metahuman identity to stay a secret. That was why she hadn't even ran the test yet.

She rushed into the room and went directly looking for Belén's most recent drawn blood. Will was right, she discovered glumly. It was gone. Now, she deduced there and then that no one from the hospital had taken it because the first thing they would've done after seeing what was truly within the blood was to come out and say Belén was one of ' _those_ ' people as they now addressed them in the building. Or, in worst case scenario, they would've contacted Belén to blackmail her.

It then struck her what most likely happened.

Making way for her office, she came across Will and assured him (with a lie of course) that it was just a mistake and that everything was where it should be.

Nina then came into her office and locked the door. She made a beeline for her desk and pulled out her cellphone. Her fingers had never dialed so fast the way she was now. But this was important as well as a complete invasion of privacy.

"Hello?"

"I swear to God if Belén doesn't punch you  _I_  will," was her first statement and Nina was nowhere near guilty for her unprofessional attitude.

"Nina? I guess Bells told you-" but Barry couldn't finish his words when Nina cut in again.

"I don't care if you're the stupid streak everyone's talking about, you do  _not_  go into someone's personal records and steal their blood samples! You got that?"

There was a slight commotion from the other line but eventually it died down and Barry spoke again. "I know it was wrong but I had to know."

"You mean the same way Belén should've known about  _you_? Because let's be honest, I tell Bells that it's not as bad as it seems but it  _is_  kind of a slap on the face to discover someone close to you was the vigilante of the city, not to mention the one she's been having secret meetings with."

"You think I don't feel bad enough? Of course I do," Barry was now sounding actually mad. "But it was a tough decision and I made it thinking it was the right one."

"But this last one you made - of her blood sample - was completely  _wrong_. If you even  _glimpse_  at those results then you will have crossed a terrible line with Belén. That's  _her_  secret - whether there is one or not - to tell. You have no right to invade her privacy like that. I don't know what the Streak is like, but I like to think that 'Barry' is not that kind of man."

Nina didn't let him say anything back before she hung up. She was growling with anger at such a childish move. She guessed that being nearly thirty made her just a little bit more mature than these twentiers. But c'mon, this was just getting ridiculous!

~ 0 ~

Barry was just coming back into Jitters after hanging up (or being hung up) with Nina, when Eddie rushed right past him out the doors. Confused, he made way for the table but Belén met him halfway.

"There's an ongoing police fight apparently," she informed him. "Something about a 'Snart'?" She could immediately see the familiarity of the name based off Barry's expression. "Figured. I may be incredibly angry with you but I won't say anything to Iris. I'll cover for you, go," she shooed him and turned back for their table.

"Wait," Barry grabbed her by the arm, "what do you plan on saying?"

Belén raised her eyebrows as she considered possible options. "Bad stomach ache...really bad diarrhea."

"Yeah, I'm not comfortable with that excuse," Barry made a face, shaking his head.

Belén instantly smiled and removed his hand from her. "I think I'll go with that one, then."

Barry groaned, but let it be. He deserved that much.

~ 0 ~

After a catastrophic fight against Snart - which resulted in a man frozen to death - Barry sat on the edge of a bed with his STAR Labs sweater slightly raised on the side of his injury. Snart had somehow acquired a deadly cold gun that practically ate through his suit. Caitlin had examined the now black and purple bruise and was pulling up results on a screen for the others to see.

"It's still numb," Barry complained and pushed his sweater down.

Caitlin walked over to thr screen on the wall. "It's presenting itself like third degree frostbite."

Felicity was busy reading from her tablet but did remark over the situation. "I thought he had hyper healing."

"It's been slowed," Caitlin clarified then shot Barry a sharp look. "If your cells weren't regenerating at the rate they are, your blood vessels would have frozen solid and the nerve damage would have been permanent. You're lucky to be alive, Barry."

Barry was not interested in miracles. "Snart wasn't another meta-human. He has some kind of gun. It froze things, slowed me down... Enough that I wasn't in time to save someone. "

"According to his record, Snart didn't even bother to finish high school, so how did he build a handheld high tech snow machine?" Felicity asked the winning question.

"S.T.A.R. Labs built the cold gun," Wells answered, his tone still etched with annoyance.

"Dr. Wells and Caitlin had nothing to do with this. I built the gun," Cisco declared, ready to accept the consequences.

Barry got up from the bed, confused. "You did? Why?"

"Because speed and cold are opposites. Temperature is measured by how quickly the atoms of something are oscillating. The faster they are, the hotter it is, and when then are cold, they're slower on the atomic level. When there's no movement at all, it's called…"

"Absolute zero," both young men finished.

"Yeah," Cisco nodded. "I designed a compact cryo engine to achieve absolute zero. I built it to stop you. I didn't know who you were then, Barry. I mean, what if you turned out to be some psycho, like Mardon or Nimbus?"

The anger was quick to rise and seeing as Barry already had what seemed like millions of problems he exploded into shouts. "But I didn't! Did I!?"

"We built the entire structure you're standing in to do good, and it blew up. In the wake of that, you can understand why Cisco would want to be prepared for the worst." Caitlin had stepped up beside Cisco for his defense.

Barry discarded her and glared at Cisco. "I can understand that, but what I can't understand is why you didn't tell me what you did. I mean, after all we've been through, I thought you trusted me. I thought we were friends."

"We are, Barry," Cisco tried to say but Barry wasn't listening.

"I mean, if you would have just told me, I could have been prepared. But instead, someone died tonight."

"And I have to live with that."

"No, Cisco. We all do," Barry corrected in a low mutter and walked away.

~ 0 ~

Belén laid on the couch with her laptop in front of her, watching a livestream of the recent news. It was of course all about the Streak who saved most civilians from a man with a gun that apparently shot ice.

"Belén, are you alright?" her father's voice had startled her.

She unplugged her earphones and raised her head to find her father towering over her from behind the couch. "What?"

David was staring at her with a suspicious, yet concerned, look. "You've got that sad look on your face. The one where your lips do the thing," he motioned to his own lips that were mimicking a pursed action.

"I'm fine, Dad," Belén sighed, swinging her legs to the side in order to sit properly.

"For a woman who's about to graduate now you don't seem to be very happy," David remarked. "Is it about your dancing? Cos you know you could go back to it now..."

Belén placed her opened laptop on the coffee table and shrugged. "It's not about that. Actually, it's nothing. Please, can we not continue?"

David smiled to himself. "As long as you say you're alright," he mumbled and headed for the stairs.

When the door knocked, Belén half expected her father to come open. But, after a couple of knocks Belén went herself to open up. She was definitely not expecting to find a blonde woman with glasses standing on the other side.

"Hi, I, uh...don't suppose you would know me right?" Felicity shyly waved a hand. "We didn't really get introductions when you, um...came to STAR Labs…"

It only took a minute took recognize Felicity as the woman from the park Barry had been talking to. Of course she was in STAR Labs afterwards.

"Right," was Belén's first answer. She discreetly looked past Felicity to see if anyone else was with her.

"I'm here alone!" Felicity exclaimed, her smile broadening. "In case you were, uh, wondering…" Belén wasn't sure what this woman wanted, nor intended, and it showed in her face. "I just came to talk," Felicity clarified, her hand gripping her bag's strap.

"If you're here on behalf of Barry, I don't want to hear it."

"He doesn't even know I'm here, I promise," Felicity's hand shot up in a neutral gesture. "But I do know something about discovering people's secrt identity."

"Is this going to be like a support group now?"

"No! Well…" Felicity looked to the side, "...kind of - I don't know!"

"What was your name again?"

"Felicity Smoak," Felicity extended a hand for the ombre-blonde, "Nice to meet you."

Belén, under no circumstances, was impolite. She shook Felicity's hand and introduced herself. "Belén Palayta." She glanced back into the foyer and saw her father was nowhere in sight. "Do you want to, uh…?"

At the gesture Felicity nodded. "Yes! Thank you." She stepped inside and walked after Belén into the living room.

"Listen, I'm sorry you had to witness my little scene at STAR Labs. I don't usually make those."

"It's understandable." Felicity noticed the opened laptop left behind with the news video paused at the scene of the most recent crime. "You saw?" She made a gesture towards the laptop.

"Hm?" Belén forgot about her laptop and sighed. "Yeah. I'm a journalist intern and my boss asked me to watch for an article…"

"Ooh," Felicity nodded. "Well, I guess you should know that Barry was there…"

"I do."

"...and he was injured…"

"Is he okay!?"

Felicity tried her hardest not to smirk. "He's fine. Heals quickly, did you know that?"

"No," Belén crossed her arms. "I don't know anything about him, as it turns out."

"Sure you do," Felicity shrugged lightly. "You know that he would never, intentionally, mean to hurt you, or anyone, actually."

"This isn't about getting my feelings hurt! This is the fact that I wasn't trusted enough by someone I considered a close friend."

"As long as it's not getting your feelings hurt," Felicity mumbled, but was clearly heard by Belén.

"Why does everyone keep doing that!?" Belén fell back onto the couch chair with a plop. "I'm angry!"

"Completely understandable," Felicity assured and walked around to sit on the long couch beside her. "You know, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret."

"That'll be a first," Belén sarcastically waved a hand.

"I work with the Arrow."

Belén's eyes widened.

"And, I found out who he was in quite a bad circumstance."

Belén leaned towards Felicity. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. It was such a unique day. I was a little pissed that he didn't tell me before, but…"

"How is it that you aren't mad at him anymore?" Belén inquired. "Did you not know him enough to be mad?"

"Let's just say our relationship prior to that day was interesting…but, over time we kind of fell into a good synced place. Plus, I understood why he would keep his secret a secret." Felicity then grew serious. "People who find out the secret are put into constant danger. Sometimes, keeping them in the dark is the only way to keep them safe."

Belén looked away, her hands clumping together. "Doesn't mean it's what  _should_  be done."

"You were already kidnapped once," Felicity said and instantly had Belén's suspicious eyes on her. "During that time Barry called me asking for help. I hacked into your phone's for that stalker problem?"

"Well," Belén crossed her arms, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Do you see how being already in danger by just being  _you_  can discourage Barry from telling you his secret?"

"I...guess…" Belén rolled her eyes, deeply exhaling, "But it doesn't mean I am less angry about it."

"Listen, I'm not here to convince you to forgive Barry. I just thought that you should at least try to understand Barry's side."

"Hm," Belén crossed her arms. "I will when he understands  _me_."

Felicity stared long and hard at Belén, thinking that those words had a significant meaning behind. "What do you mean?" the moment she asked the question Belén shook her head and got up.

"No! Absolutely not!"

From her experiences, Felicity knew well when someone was lying to. Still, she knew her place and since she didn't know Belén all that well - in fact she hardly knew the woman - she did not press further. "You're upset, Belén, and honestly I think you are reacting like anyone else would be in your place. But I really advice you to talk to Barry. And if you need anything from me I'm willing to listen too."

Belén's eyes slowly met Felicity's, and her anger subsided at least for that moment. "Thank you, Felicity."

Felicity nodded and headed for the doors, Belén sticking to her polite habits followed. "Oh," she had barely stepped out to the front porch when she remembered and turned around, "Barry and the others hit a sort of stump earlier. Cisco built this cold gun that would have stopped Barry had he turned out to be a bad metahuman-"

"M-metahuman?" Belén raised an eyebrow.

"People with their powers," Felicity quickly explained and continued with her main point. "Barry's pretty hurt by that and seeing as he wants to talk to no one I would say you are most capable of handling that."

"Sure, if you want me to punch him in the face."

Felicity laughed. "You don't look like you could hurt a fly. You'll be fine."

"I don't know…"

"Think about it," Felicity gave her one last smile before walking off.

~ 0 ~

In an attempt to 'make things better', Barry had forced himself onto the treadmill. His idea was: run more and he'd become faster. In any other occasion the thought would have had more logic put it into it (like an actual plan) but his mind was clouded with all the problems of the day.

He most certainly was not expecting one of those problems to show up.

"Barry?" Belén's voice caught him off guard and thus slipped backwards and crashed into the stacked up boxes again. "Barry!" the ombre-blonde woman ran to where the metahuman had landed. "Oh my God, are you okay?" she pushed some boxes out of the way.

Barry was less than concerned about his current state. "I'm fine, what are you doing here?"

Belén cleared her throat and stood back up, awkwardly crossing her arms. "I heard what happened today at the, um...theater. I also heard about the gun - Cisco just finished explaining." Barry stood up and grimly moved past her. Belén turned around, not following yet. "It doesn't feel good being kept in the dark about something, is it?"

"It's not the same thing!" Barry responded back with a surprisingly loud shout, startling her for a second. "Cisco built a gun that could have  _killed_  me! But instead, it's the reason why a poor man had to die today! I watched him die, Belén. If Cisco would've trusted me-"

"Of course he didn't trust you in the beginning," Belén cut in. "You were a stranger!"

"And then? After everything, he still didn't trust me enough to tell me about this?"

"Still think it's not the same thing between us?" Belén asked, now wearing a smirk on her face.

"Bells-"

"That's not a nickname you can use anymore," Belén cut him off and walked up to him. "I'm crossed with you but I'm here to make a point. I don't know what kind of thing goes around here," she gestured to the empty room, "but I'm sure there was enough trust between all of you to know that none of you would hurt the other - at least not on purpose. If that Snart guy is still out there, don't let him get away with his crime. That's not what the Streak does."

With one last look, Belén turned and started walking away.

Barry watched her leave until the need to patch things up overwhelmed him. If he wanted to fix things, he needed to start with the most basic thing: honesty. "Bells," he called softly, and when Belén glanced back with her narrowed look he sighed and added, "Sorry. Belén, um...I may have, uh...well, see I intended on, um...I didn't mean to...to be...well…"

"Will this sentence be put together by dawn?" Belén inquired with a light sarcasm in her tone. "Barry, what is it?"

Barry took a deep breath in and let it all out, hoping for the best. "I stole one of your blood samples from the hospital to examine it and see if you were a metahuman - um, if you had powers…"

"You did  _what_?" Belén completely turned back for him.

"I'm sorry!"

"Barry, how could you do that?" Instead of being angry, Belén felt more offended, and completely invaded on her personal life.

Barry could tell the feelings from her soft tone. "I thought...you know what, it doesn't even matter what I thought because it wasn't right."

"Well, at least something works right in that brain of yours," Belén put a hand on her temple.

"I didn't look, though - I haven't looked at the results yet. They're still on my computer."

"And will you look at them?"

"No, I swear to you I won't. Whether it's true or not, no one has the right to know unless  _you_  want them to know."

Belén felt a little relief hearing that, but it still didn't make her feel better. "I'm glad you think that way. Why would you tell me this, though? Could have easily seen the results or not and I would've never heard a thing."

"Nina knows," Barry went with that honesty thing again, "And before she got a chance to tell you, I needed to. Because if you're going to shout again then it should be at me...because I deserve it."

"Oh, you deserve it," Belén agreed with a nod but surprised him by turning and continuing on her way out.

"Wait, what...that's...that's it?" Barry called after her. She stopped by the threshold and laughed. "I'm...confused…"

"Good," Belén smirked and took her leave.

~ 0 ~

"Hi there, I figured out a way to track Captain Cold," Cisco came into the cortex room with a tablet in hand. Everyone had regathered there in an attempt to put heads together for a solution.

"You gotta stop naming these guys," Caitlin playfully rolled her eyes.

"Barry, listen to him," Wells glanced at the silent metahuman still refusing to utter a word to them.

"The cold gun is powered by an engine control unit, a microcomputer that regulates air-to-fuel ratios so the sub-cooled fluid in the chambers don't overflow and...

"Explode," Barry mumbled.

Cisco moved up to the desk as he continued to explain. "This E.C.U. was receiving updates wirelessly from my tablet. If I boost the signal using Central City's network and send a false update, we'll get a ping back, and then…"

"We can locate Snart," Wells concluded, and motioned Cisco to get on it.

"How long will it take?" Caitlin asked.

Cisco had turned one of the computers on, moving to plug in his tablet. "First I have to hack into the City's network, so I don't know, 30 minutes, maybe?"

Felicity walked over to a small table where her laptop was currently charging. "I can do it in less than one. When it comes to hacking, I'm the fastest woman alive." She cracked her knuckles and experienced an 'epic fail' as she often heard. "Ow! That was not as badass as I pictured.." She typed away on the keyboard for about a minute. "All right, I'm in."

Cisco gaped. "Are you kidding?"

Felicity just smirked as she typed again. "All right, I'm sending the updates."

"We're connected," Cisco announced after a moment. "Network is triangulating the location. We got him. He's heading west on Nelson toward the train station."

"If he's leaving, it appears Mr. Snart may have gotten what he came for," Wells looked up to where Barry had been, but the metahuman had already gone for his suit.

"When we put our minds to it, dude, nothing can stop us," Cisco chuckled and saw Barry coming back...and switching off their only communication. "Oh, you turned your ear piece off. How are we gonna talk to each other?"

"I don't feel like talking right now," Barry muttered and sped off.

~ 0 ~

Belén was returning home when her phone rang. As she unlocked the door and stepped inside, she pulled out her phone and saw an unidentified number.

"Hello…?" she slowly said. She dropped her keys on the table whilst passing by the foyer, though she stopped when she saw a small piece of paper with her name on it.

"Belén!?" Felicity's voice chirped from the other line. "Hi! Felicity again - well, you probably guessed that by my voice but-"

"How did you get my number?" Belén made a face.

"Same way I figured out where you lived - hacking! It's what I do, but listen...there's something you may want to help us do."

"Oh yeah?" Belén raised an eyebrow. "Care to make a wager? I talked to Barry, like you thought I should, I'm not going back there again."

"Oh, but I think you will," Felicity said confidently, much to Belén's annoyance. She went ahead and explained the situation they found themselves in, and their current plan, and when the choice remained solely on Belén they hung up.

As she considered the idea, Belén finally took a read from the paper left behind by her father apparently.

_I have to work late again, sweetheart. If you need anything Mrs. Andrews was more than happy to help.  
\- Dad._

Belén smiled lightly. She knew that her father was still a bit suspicious and that was why he resorted to their closest neighbor for help. Mrs. Andrews, who lived just across the street, was a widow who was always there for them, even more so after Belén's parents' divorced. Still, Belén doubted Mrs. Andrews would be helpful in this situation she was stuck in. Right now, Belén had to focus on what Felicity told her over the phone. She knew that she should just stay home and let Barry figure it out. I mean, that's how he'd been doing it before her, no?

But she kept glancing up at the staircase...until eventually...

"Barry Allen, why do I keep doing things I would never do for anyone?" she let the note drop and dashed for the stairs.

~ 0 ~

Snart was just conveniently standing in one of the train compartments when Barry sped in. There were dozens of passengers intently watching them, probably fearing for their lives. Snart was a bit famous after all...as well as 'the Streak'.

"There's nowhere to run," Barry smirked, not yet realizing Snart's plan. The criminal never revealed himself so easily without a proper plan.

Snart turned around to finally face the metahuman. "I didn't see you before. Your mom know you're out past your bedtime?"

"If you wanted to get away you should've taken something faster than a train."

Snart smirked under his blue jacket hoodie he was now dawning. "That's  _if_  I wanted to get away. I've seen your weakness at the armored car, then at the theater. See, while you're busy saving everybody, I'll be saving myself. Good luck with that."

Using the cold gun, he created a hole on the floor that would inevitably cause the train to lose control. He escaped rather easily - just as he planned - and landed on dirty grass. Meanwhile, Barry set himself out to save the passengers that would be crushed by the shaking train. When he knew that there was no one else left, he finally escaped himself and dropped to the ground. His head rang with the loud noise of the train, and he was just a bit dizzy from the tumbles. Still, he knew it would be alright.

And then Snart found him...and froze him to the ground.

Barry felt the incredible sting of the cold gun and looked up to find Snart still aiming the gun at him.

"Pretty fast, kid, but not fast enough," Snart said with a smirk. "Thank you."

"For what?" Barry asked in the midst of one of his pain hisses.

"You forced me to up my game, not only with this gun, but with how I think about the job. It's been educational."

"Drop it," Cisco appeared behind Snart, a couple feet away, holding part of a machine in his arms. Caitlin and Felicity were just beside him, carrying the second part, and a little heavier, of the device. "This is a prototype cold gun, four times the size, four times the power."

Snart cast an unworried glance over his shoulder. "I was wondering who you were talking to," he commented to Barry.

Cisco held the whirring gun closer. "Hey, unless you want a taste of your own medicine, I'd back the hell up, Captain Cold."

"Or what?" Snart called on the bluff and there was a shot just beside him...but it hadn't come from Cisco's 'gun'.

"Back up right now or I won't miss the next time," Belén came up to them, holding an actual gun in her hands. Everyone stared at her in shock, but no one more than Barry. He wore a mixture of surprise and utter horror, and if he wasn't stuck to the ground he would've snatched the gun right out of her hands.

"Your hands are shaking," Snart observed the ombre-blonde curiously. "You've never killed anyone."

"My mom's a cop, so I assure you I know my way around a perfect aim. Before you shoot that thing at me I'd at least be able to give you one shot through the chest - easy."

Belén wasn't quite sure if that was her saying all that stuff. She was doing her best not to accidentally shoot or worse, drop the gun. It was moments like these where she wished she had better control of her powers, or of herself for that matter, to be able to hurt at least a fly.

Snart lowered his cold gun after deciding it wasn't worth killing so many people in one go. Like he always said, there's no need for extra heat. With a final glance at Barry, he bid goodbye. "You win, kid. I'll see you around."

"Hey, leave the diamond!" Cisco called after him.

"Don't push your luck."

When Snart was gone, Cisco let out a small laugh while Caitlin and Felicity powered down the machine. "Couldn't shoot him if I wanted to. This is actually the S.T.A.R. Labs vacuum cleaner with a lot of L.E.D's. Let's get you warm."

He helped Barry get up since the ice was beginning to melt. At the same time, Caitlin turned to Belén - looking like that scolding mom.

"Belén…?"

"I didn't know you could use a gun," Felicity eyed the woman curiously.

"Mom's a cop," Belén reiterated with a small sigh as she finally lowered the gun. "Of course there would be a registered gun at my house. Though if my Dad finds out I took it for  _this_ , I'll be promptly be dead by tomorrow morning."

"Bells - Belén," Barry had to correct himself again, "Thank you."

Belén didn't know what to do nor say a that moment. She just shrugged and put the gun back into her bag. "Felicity called, explained, so I came. But that's it."

"Belén?" Cisco sadly called to her, but Belén looked at all of them and felt...so out of place. There was a whole new side of them and she didn't know where she could fit in anymore. She felt her heart pounding in her chest and her head was spinning. Pursing her lips, she meekly spoke again. "I have to go…"

It couldn't be possible she felt like this after one confrontation, she thought as she hurried away.

~ 0 ~

"Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you to the train station?" Barry asked Felicity for the tenth time as they waited outside of her hotel for her cab to come by. Felicity had decided it was time to get back to Starling and had picked up a ticket from the train station earlier.

"I'm fine," she assured with a light laugh. "But...are  _you_?"

Barry nodded, more or less feeling better than earlier. He felt more at ease with Cisco and the others - except for one ombre-blonde. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Good," Felicity smiled and put a hand on his arm. "Just remember, it's a wonky little team but you guys are good for each other."

"Wonky?" Barry raised an eyebrow, unable to keep himself from laughing.

"Shut up!"

"I'll miss you," Barry said truthfully as he sobered. "You are a great friend and helper, have I mentioned?"

"That's what I'm here for - I mean, that  _is_  why you remembered me right?" Felicity gave him a little nudge on the side. "Damn, I didn't get to thank Belén after all." The mere mention of the possible metahuman put Barry into a glum state. Felicity sighed and turned to him. "It's gonna take some time but...she'll come around," she promised, but Barry shook his head. "Look, people who don't care about a friend don't show up with a gun to protect them. Listen to me, alright? It'll be fine."

Barry gave in with a small nod, not too convinced but he was going to hope for the best as he made his attempts to win Belén's friendship back.

~ 0 ~

Belén sat on her bed with a blank expression. Her mind was being unhelpful by replaying her stupid act of boldness against Snart and she cursed herself for being so... _weak_. Her hands  _were_  trembling then as Snart pointed it out and she only wondered what would've occurred if Snart had called her out on her bluff. Sure she knew how to shoot, but she'd never actually  _needed_  to. What would've happened if she needed to do it tonight and she couldn't? Barry would have died, then Cisco, Caitlin, Felicity...and finally herself.

She raised her right hand and narrowed her eyes in focus as she tried to call upon her abilities. She mildly succeeded in turning it into a bright green but anything else was out of the question.

"I can't be like this anymore," she told herself.

She took a rash decision then and jumped out of her bed to make it happen.

~ 0 ~

Felicity was patiently sitting inside her train, too focused reading off her tablet to notice the other passengers that were filling up the compartment. Someone came to take the seat directly across her.

"Felicity?" the voice of the person momentarily made Felicity wonder if she was dreaming.

She lowered her tablet from her face and blinked rapidly, even more so confused. "Belén?"

The ombre-blonde sat across Felicity, changed into a more comfortable set of clothes for the departure. Her black coat covered most of it though. "I need your help."

"M-mine?" Felicity pointed at herself.

"Yes," Belén nodded and sighed. "You said you worked with the Arrow, no?"

"Yeah…"

"And we concluded that Barry and him know each other?"

"Aha…"

"I need to see him. And I need his help."

Felicity had to replay the words spoken to her just to see if she'd heard right. She rested her cheek on her palm, elbow on the armrest. "Wh-why are you saying this? Does anyone know you're here?"

It was then that she noticed Belén had come with a carry-on bag and was placed on the seat beside.

"Oh my God, you're so serious," Felicity blinked.

"I am more than serious about this Felicity. I have no control of myself - emotionally and physically. In this city, that spells death."

"Belén-"

'Let me finish," Belén raised a hand and indeed went on calmly. "My brother is in this city - I  _know_  he is - but I can't continue looking for him if I can't protect myself, my family and friends. Today proved that I'm not ready for any battle. And before you say anything about going to Barry, know that I can't and that I don't want to. I can't...be around him right now. I don't...I don't know  _how_  to be around him. You were right before, he  _did_  hurt my feelings. Whether it was intentional or not, I don't care. I can't be near him for sometime. My mom's a cop, and she lives in Starling too. If my friend, Laurel, can't have me with her then I'll just have to stay with my Mom. But I  _need_  to see the Arrow."

"You know Laurel?" Felicity quirked an eyebrow. "As in Laurel Lance?"

"Yeah, we were good friends. Why?"

Felicity knew that Barry would later come for her because she was deciding to help Belén in this completely crazy idea, but...she couldn't just leave Belén on her own. "The Arrow? He knows Laurel, and Laurel knows him. So, I guess, he might be more willing to meet with you. But, I just gotta ask, why do you want to see him?"

"Because I need to learn how to hurt a fly," Belén said, and Felicity immediately understood her implication. "And…" Belén leaned forwards on her chair, holding her palms up, "...I need to learn how to control this."

Felicity gasped as Belén's palms turned emerald green. But just as it had come, it vanished.

"I'm a metahuman, but I'm not strong. I'm clueless. Please, Felicity, help me."


	8. Focus

In the following morning after going against 'Captain Cold', Barry thought a good (and hopefully civilized) talk with Belén was in order. Since she had no more classes, he assumed she would either be at home or at her job. Calling would've been pointless since she hadn't answered any of his calls the previous night so guessing was all he had to go by.

He was knocking incessantly on Belén's front door - he was hoping her father wasn't there so he wouldn't have to awkwardly explain the reason behind his pounds on the door. After five minutes of knocking, he gave up. Giving it one quick scope with his speed he finally concluded that no one was home.

That left CC Pictures.

"Hi, Barry," Linda greeted him from her desk when he walked in.

"Linda," Barry headed for her desk while taking a look at the current employees rushing about. He assumed after the tumbling train and cold gun incident, the news was buzzing with new articles. "I need to talk to Belén. Can you call her?"

Linda's face scrunched in confusion. "Barry, I thought you knew."

"Knew what?"

"Belén called in last night - she's left the city."

Barry's eyebrows raised, equally confused as the reporter. "She...she...she what?"

Linda rose from her chair, lightly tapping her knuckles on her desk. "I was hoping to bump into you or one of her other friends so that someone could explain this. She called in last night and said she was going to be taking a break. She understood her job here could be lost but she seemed very determined to leave."

"Did...did she give you any sort of reasoning?" Barry asked, the wave of guilt not wasting time in hitting. "Or, where she went to?"

"Nothing just that she needed a break," Linda shrugged, clearly doubtful that it was the truth. "I told her her job was safe. But, between you and I, if she's gone for a long time I won't be able to help her later on. You think you can pass on the message?"

Even though he had no idea where Belén could've possibly gone, he still nodded his head. "Yeah…"

"Barry?" Linda called when Barry was already halfway back to the doors. "Do you know why Belén would just pick up and leave?"

"Uh…"

"I mean, I know she's gone through a lot of stuff lately but if she wanted to do something like this she would've done it a long time ago…"

Barry swallowed hard and forced himself to shake his head. "N-no...not at all…"

Linda seemed to trust him but looked no less disappointed. With a polite smile, they bid goodbye and Barry rushed to go find the missing (possible) metahuman.

~ 0 ~

_**2 Months Later.** _

"Felicity, I'm here, but are you sure this is the place?"

"Positive, Belén. There's been tons of break-ins into this jewelry store by that gumbo woman."

"Plasticine, you meant Plasticine."

"Eugh, that's still a creepy name."

Belén rolled her eyes and came to a stop in front of the jewelry store that barely had any customers inside. It seemed like a perfectly normal jewelry store yet she has discovered - thanks to the wonderful techy powers of Felicity Smoak - that this was a preferred robbing spot for the metahuman known as Plasticine.

"Belén," came Oliver Queen's voice through her earpiece, "Remember what I told you to do."

"Yes, yes," Belén's eyes - which were hidden behind tendrils of vines forming a nice mask with small Azaleas decorating its corners - quickly glanced down at her hands. She flexed them over and over as she saw spots of green trying to make its way across her skin.  _No_ , she told herself. That  _needed_ to go away. "I learn fast, remember?" she answered in a perfectly normal voice, nothing that would ever indicate what she was trying to desperately hide.

"Two months is hardly fast."

"Shut up," Belén commanded and she was sure Felicity had done something from the other line to make it so.

As Belén's eyes re-opened, this time more focused on her task. Her ombre-blonde hair, which had been picked up into a high pony-tail, were being overun by thin roots with green vines that contained several small azaleas throughout its course. It was just enough to cover her blonde tips (in case any civilian identified it and configured back to her).

Her dark green leather jacket, whose green shade faded midway to turn into a hot pink just like her pants, was zipped closed as she burst into the store.

"Customers," her perfectly modulated voice (thanks to Felicity's addition to the earpiece) made everyone in the building stop, "get  _out_."

See, the good thing about Central City now was that when some crazed leather bound person ordered those three words people listened in a snap. When customers had ran out, Belén sealed the door by wrapping her vines all over them.

"Freeze!" came the predicted security guard behind her.

"Belén," Oliver's voice warned the young woman before she made her move.

"I know," Belén rolled her eyes and thrust a hand back to the guard. A thick green vine had shot out from her palm and swiftly snatched the gun from the officer, breaking it two before letting it drop to the floor. "I don't mean to hurt anyone," she addressed the rest of the people in the room, "I need to talk to a certain employee: Alizae Fraye."

The woman in question squeaked in terror and instantly had Belén turning in her direction. Belén felt a little guilty since she already knew the woman thanks to her sister. She hoped neither would ever found out about this.

"I don't want to hurt you," Belén clarified. "I'm only here to ask questions."

The woman, a brunette, gave a light nod but it didn't mean she wasn't terrified.

"Belén, there's about two minutes before the police get there," Felicity called from the earpiece.

"Get in, and get out," added Oliver.

"A woman in purple, shoots some sort of purple gumbo, she comes here to steal every month or so. Correct?"

Alizae nodded.

"But she never hurts anyone does she?"

Alizae shook her head.

"And whenever she comes in, she always come straight for you. Why?"

Alizae shrugged. "I…don't know…" she croaked.

Belén looked around the room, the people paralyzed with fear of what she would do next. "There has to be a connection here," her voice hardened intentionally. "A woman with powers comes in here every month - always on the same day and time - and she takes a couple priceless jewelry then makes a clean getaway."

"She knows what she's coming for," the guard that had tried to shoot her was now helping, apparently.

That was a good thing, Belén smiled.

"It's like she knows where everything is," Belén acknowledged his help with a light nod.

"From the moment she got here," a third employee spoke up, a male, "she knew where everything was. Like...like…"

"She had already visited the store before," Belén finished for him. "See, I can understand that. She's clever, she scopes out her place before robbing it. What I can't understand is why she always comes to  _you_ ," she pointed a pink nailed polished finger at Alizae. "Why you?"

"I swear to you I don't know," Alizae whimpered.

"And she doesn't hurt anyone either," Belén continued on. "This is like a normal day at the grocery store for her. But see, here's another thing: she's big and bad with her powers so she can do far better than measly jewelry here - no offense," she quickly added, "Why settle for this?"

"She says she doesn't like doing it," Alizae dared to reveal. "I can see it too - in her eyes - that she does it with hesitancy."

"Useful," Belén thought and looked up at the cameras. With both her hands she shot out vines and smashed them to pieces. "Sorry," she honestly said to the others, "I didn't steal nor hurt anyone but I still don't want trouble. This was interesting, thank you all."

With a wide smile, she let her vines enclose themselves around her body and in a snap, they fled the building.

~ 0 ~

"I should be leaving," Belén walked alongside Nina, the latter in regular clothes. The dark, lonesome street allowed for an uninterrupted conversation between the two.

"If you truly believed that then we wouldn't have left our suitcases back at my place," Nina smirked.

"Yeah, but...I don't know, I'm nervous," Belén bit on one of her nails.

"Course you are - you've changed."

"Thanks, Nina," Belén rolled her eyes. "I feel better, and I'm  _going_  to be better. It's just seeing them all…"

The two women trailed off at the sound of a police sirens. They exchanged concerned looks before running towards the scene. It appeared there had been an explosion of some sort. The consequences were grave but what really took it home was the man hanging onto a loose window scaffold.

"Help! Help!" the man frantically cried from the top.

"That's gotta be at least forty feet high," Nina raised her eyebrows.

Belén stepped fowards, turning her palms upwards. "Hmm…"

"Bells, don't," Nina warned when she saw the idea forming into Belén's mind.

"Why not? This is why I left in the first place. Besides, it's not the first saving I'd be doing."

"Yeah, but do this, and you could get caught by that someone you say you're not ready to bump into."

"That man is going to die and I'm not gonna let it happen because of silly nervousness." Belén made her declaration with the utmost honesty. Without hearing Nina's next response, she rushed off to go help the poor man that was literally hanging from a tearing rope.

She tilted her head and cracked her neck, simultaneously stretching her hands. Nina was right, the man was up at least forty levels and she hadn't quite stretched her powers that far. She needed to be extra careful. She cast another look at her hands and saw the same greeness trying to make its presence.  _I said **no**. _ She balled them up and backtracked a little before thrusting her right hand forwards and released one of her thick vines. It stuck to the wall like a suckers and she did the same with her other hand, landing the second vine rope-like mass. Using them like anchors, she brought herself up. Ignoring the fact she was oh-so-many-feet high, she got onto the falling scaffold, using one of her vines to keep it to a regular position.

"It'll be alright," she assured the awed and terrified man. "It's gonna feel weird, but I'll get you down," she promised.

Multiple vines extended from her body and wrapped around the man's body. Belén admitted there was the adrenaline she grew to love from doing stuff like this. It was rather wonderful knowing you could have peoples' lives in your hands - or in this case vines - and that you could keep them protected when no one else could.

Those were her thoughts as she watched her vines lower the man down the building. She gently let him down to the ground.

And then she got a crazy idea she knew Nina would scold her about later. She let herself drop headfirst and laughed as she put her hands together. They created an extra thick vine that helped her land with a front handspring move.

It would've been a perfect ending if there hadn't been a watcher nearby.

"Wo-oah…" she sucked in a breath at the sight of her good friend Iris West standing across.

Iris looked wonderstruck of all she saw - and with great reason!

Belén's first instinct was to look down. Her mask would only cover her so much, and she was no where near ready to try her...other side. But, her hair tips were covered with stringlets of roots and flowers till it covered up her identifiable blonde tips.

Iris thought for sure she had squeaked then. Yes, she was sure.

She made a step towards Belén but in the next second vines had entangled themselves around Belén and taken her away from the scene.

~ 0 ~

In Jitters, Barry sat alone at a table waiting for Iris to come over with his ordered coffee. It was a particularly casual day, waiting for STAR Labs to come up with an identity for the person who mysteriously bombed an elite storage room the previous night. This case, however, was more interesting than any other case: the army had come to take it over. Just like that, they swept up the case with all its compartments and took off.

But, Barry managed to snag the most important part of the evidence and got it to STAR Labs right away for analyzation.

"Oh my God," Iris' voice made him snap out of his thoughts. She was coming over with her pot of coffee, but her eyes were stuck past him to the doors. "Barry, look."

He followed her gaze and glanced back to see Nina Clarke coming. On any other occasion, the appearance would've been normal…

* * *

**_2 Months ago:_ **

_"Hey," Barry greeted Caitlin as he walked in, the bio-engineer anxiously looking up at him._

_"How'd it go?" she asked._

_"Not good," Barry leaned against the side of the desk. "Get this, Nina took an absence of leave-" he did air quotation marks, "-from the hospital this morning. I checked her apartment and she wasn't there anymore."_

_"That's highly suspicious," Caitlin made a face._

_"Very," Barry agreed. "Belén leaves last night, and then today one of her friends does the same? And with no specific reason?"_

_"You think she's where Belén is?"_

_"Of course. But question is, **where**?"_

_At that moment, Cisco strode into the room, and he looked nowhere pleased._

_"How'd it go with you?" Barry asked him, though by the big sigh Cisco gave he could tell it wasn't going to get better._

_"I talked to Bells' dad and he said he had no idea Belén was going to do this," Cisco plopped down in one of the desk chairs._

_"Did you believe him?" Caitlin arched an eyebrow._

_"Yeah, he was looking worried too," Cisco shrugged. "But he knows where she is now-" and just as Barry opened his mouth he added, "-and he said Bells told him not to say anything. She wanted a 'break'."_

_"Looks like Belén doesn't want to be found," Caitlin concluded with the obvious facts. She leaned back on her chair, sadly smiling at her two friends. "I think we need to respect her decision."_

_"But that's just it!" Barry exclaimed suddenly, startling the two. "It was a stupid, rash decision! She left the city because of **me**! Because I...I lied."_

_The pang his heart gave was a painful one._

* * *

"Do you think Bells is back too?" Iris quietly whispered to Barry as the two watched Nina go up to the counter to order.

Out of everyone, Iris was the most concerned of Belén's friends. She really had no idea what possessed Belén to get up and leave the way she had. No one seemed to know where Belén had run off to, nor her reasons. Even her graduation party had been cancelled because of her sudden departure. Her father had picked up her certificate from the office the day before the graduation ceremony took place. As far as Iris knew, Linda had hired some newly graduated student to cover Belén's position in the meantime the woman was gone.

Overall, Iris was confused and she just missed her friend.

"We should talk to her," Iris resolved and glanced at Barry for his opinion. He was mildly glaring at the nurse and while Iris could understand (in some way) his annoyance with the abrupt leave, she hit him in the arm. "It's not her fault Bells left! Don't you dare ruin this," she warned with a finger before going to greet Nina.

Nina wasn't surprised to find the younger woman taking her order. She politely smiled. "Hello, Iris."

"Nina, it's been a long time," Iris mustered her gracefulness and patience for this conversation.

"Has it?" Nina chuckled.

"Only been two months but...who's counting?" Iris chuckled alongside but it was easily fake as Nina's. "Can I get your order?"

"Espresso, please."

Iris nodded and dotted it on the register. "So...are you back in the city for good now?"

"Oh yeah, definitely," Nina answered, reaching for her wallet inside her bag. "I had to take care of some personal stuff."

"Did that 'personal stuff' also require Belén?"

Nina didn't seem fazed by the question as she handed Iris a ten dollar bill. Her smile was gone but her voice was still polite. "Actually, it was personal matters for each of us."

Iris accepted the bill and worked with the register. "Was it resolved?"

"Hm, yes, in a way, it was."

"And is she okay?"

"In what fits, Iris, yes. She's finally accepted her brother's death but how well can a sibling be when they accept that their twin is dead and with no recovered body to mourn?"

Iris had held out Nina's change and was left to think about the question with a decent amount of guilt. She had never thought about Belén leaving for her brother. Truthfully, at one point, Iris believed Belén was just doing this on purpose. How was she supposed to know this was about Rayan?

"Is she back now?" she whispered. "Is she back in the city?"

Nina took her change and put it back into her wallet. "I'll wait over there," she pointed to a lonesome table near the doors then left.

Iris glumly went to prepare the espresso. It was then that Barry got up to take his opportunity.

"Hello Barry," Nina greeted without so much of a glance from her phone screen. "How's it going?"

"Are you serious?" the hard tone in his voice made her chuckle.

"Oh, don't tell me you're mad. Out of everyone you are the least person with the right to be mad."

"I don't think it's funny when a friend disappears and has all of us going crazy wondering what happened."

Nina finally raised her eyes to the metahuman, and her sarcasm was no longer with her. "She's fine, Barry. She left because she thought it was the right thing to do for  _her_. It has nothing to do with what fell out between you two."

While it did relieve Barry somewhat it wasn't enough. He took a seat across her, earnestly speaking. "Where is she? Where did she go?"

Nina just smiled at him. "You'll see her again, don't worry."

"That's not what I'm asking," Barry snapped. "Where the hell did she go?"

"She won't be the same, though," Nina warned, acting as if Barry hadn't said anything yet.

"That's not what-"

"She's a bit scared though of how you'll react - how everyone will react…"

"Nina!" Barry had slammed a hand on the table, not loud enough to cause a distraction but enough to make the doctor flinch on her spot. "I have spent the last two months going crazy wondering where it is she could've gone to. I get it, I messed up, and she's mad. But the least she can do is give us a call to let us know she's fine."

Nina bit her lip, looking reluctant of her next words. "The thing with her brother, it's part of the reason why she left. I love her, I really do, but I'm afraid what's gonna happen now that...that she's…"

"Now that she's…?" Barry motioned her to keep going.

"Here's your espresso," Iris chirped and set down the coffee cup on the table. She looked between Nina and Barry, getting strange vibes from them. "Um...am I interrupting?"

"No," Nina picked up her espresso and got up. "It was nice seeing you guys. I have to get to my shift. Bye."

"Well that was strange," Iris sighed and looked over to Barry. "Did she tell you anything about Bells?"

Barry was left in an even fouler mood than before. "No," he answered shortly and also got up.

"Do you think if we-"

"I have to go Iris," was his last statement before promptly (and what Iris deemed as rudely) leaving as well.

He had only made it halfway down the street when his phone vibrated. As soon as he answered it, Cisco quickly told him of the last known address (which in reality was an emergency contact) of their new metahuman in the city. As it turned out, Bette Sans Souci had a an address not too far. Getting in the suit, he sped to go find her.

He came into an alleyway where a tall ginger woman had been running from a staircase. She yelped when he came to a stop right in front of her. Immediately, she backtracked but Barry wasn't gonna let her go.

"Bette Sans Souci? I need you to come with me!"

"Don't touch me!" the woman nearly pleaded but Barry grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her forwards.

Her hand landed on his suit's emblem and she blinked with terror as it began shifting into a bright purple. "Get whatever you're wearing off of you. Hurry!"

Barry wasn't one to listen to strangers so quick but just for once he would make an exception. He sped away from her and got the suit off just mere seconds before it exploded into nothing!

Back at STAR Labs, Cisco was trying to get through to Barry while Caitlin assured him everything was fine on the other side.

"Barry? Can you hear me? Barry?"

"There must be a perfectly reasonable explanation for why he's not answering."

And then Barry sped in, going for the spare clothes in one of the side rooms.

"Barry?" Caitlin eyed him curiously as he came back out with pants he surely did not have before and pulling down a gray shirt over himself. "Uh…?"

"Don't ask," Barry mumbled, still not over what happened.

Cisco's eyes roamed the entire room for his crimson suit. "I'm gonna ask. Where's my suit?"

"It's... Gone."

Cisco straightened in his chair, his brow furrowing."What do you mean, it's gone? What did you do with my suit?"

"It blew up, dude. I managed to get out of it before it went, "kaboom."

"My suit went "kaboom"?"

Barry ignored Cisco's processing and walked over to the desk. "Fun fact about Bette Sans Souci. She's not carrying bombs. She touched the emblem on the suit and turned it into a bomb. She's a meta-human."

Dr. Wells came into the main room having heard the revelation. "With the ability to cause spontaneous combustion upon tactile contact."

Cisco was scowling by then. "She blew up my suit."

Caitlin rolled her eyes at him. "You have, like, three more."

"Okay, I have two. And I loved that one!"

"All right, what else do we know about her?" Barry asked from the two, now a little more impatient to find her.

Cisco leaned towards one of the computers and began looking up the recent information they had downloaded on the metahuman. "Oh, I don't know. She's pure evil. We're gonna find this girl and send her butt into the pipeline. No one blows my tech to smithereens and gets away with it…" his irritated tone vanished upon seeing a picture of the mysterious Bette, "Unless she looks like that."

"I don't think she meant to hurt me," Barry admitted to them.

"Well, her being a meta-human explains General Eiling's interest in her," Wells remarked.

At that moment, Joe came in and didn't look too surprised of what he'd heard so far. "And why he stole the case from us. He didn't want anyone to know what she could do. So... Human bomb. Must be Tuesday in Central City."

"Yes, and General Eiling's not one to give up a potential asset without a fight."

"We have to find her before he does."

"Barry?" Joe asked once the others got to work. "Can I see you for a second?" Barry nodded and followed him out into the corridor. "We've got a problem with Iris. She saw a metahuman - upclose at a police scene."

"I wasn't there, it wasn't me," Barry's hands shot up in immediate innocence.

"I know it wasn't you - it was a woman, least that's what Iris says."

"Well, maybe it was this one," Barry gestured to the room but Joe shook his head.

"This one bombs, the one that Iris saw apparently shoots plants or something."

Barry stiffened, not that Joe noticed. He was too preoccupied with his daughter at the moment.

"She's writing a blog now-"

"I already talked to her about that," Barry reminded, though his thoughts were beginning to roam from the conversation.

"Talk to her again. And be more convincing."

"Okay," Barry nodded and was about to go back inside when he caught Joe's sharp look. "Oh! You mean, right now?"

"Yes, I do," Joe motioned him to get a move on.

"Alright," Barry hurriedly left.

~ 0 ~

Sticking to his word, Barry was back at Jitters and desperately trying to get Iris to sway from her sudden passion.

"You've got to stop writing about these people - they don't exist."

Iris scoffed and turned to him, lowering the tray she was carrying. "I saw one of them, alright? They do too exist. I went to that crime scene thinking just maybe I would get a glimpse of the Streak but instead I saw this woman who singlehandedly saved a man from plummeting to his death. She wore this green and pink outfit…"

While Barry was listening attentively to her description of this new metahuman (that clearly was not Bette) he played it off with disbelief. "I mean, Iris, come on. You were drinking last night at the bar," he reminded her of their previous night out with their friends.

"I was not drunk, and I know what I saw," Iris said with a hint of annoyance. "It was amazing. I watched her dive from a window scaffold and landed perfectly on her feet and she only used these vines," she turned over one of her palms for gesture. "They just shot out from her hands! And body! It was incredible, Barry!"

All the details began ringing a red alert in Barry's mind.

It was just oddly familiar.

"I want to have people know that there are these extraordinary people out there saving us. What is wrong with you?" Iris stopped to give Barry an accusing look. "This is important to me. Why can't you be more supportive?"

"I'm just... you haven't even put your name on it. How serious can you be about an anonymous blog?"

Iris had enough of all the useless questionnaires and comments on something she was really interested in. "Okay, you know what? Our entire lives, you couldn't scream loud enough that the impossible existed. And now it's actually happening in Central City. I have proof of it, and you don't want to know about it? That doesn't make sense, Barry. So when you're ready to tell me what this whole routine is really about, then we can talk."

In other occasions, her being mad at him would've been bigger but all Barry could think of was the last time he had heard of a metahuman with  _vines_.

Well, he wasn't going to sit there and watch her laugh at him like that.

~ 0 ~

"I'm looking through them, Felicity," Belén was in Nina's apartment, sitting at the kitchen table with a laptop in front of her. She was talking to the blonde techie over the cellphone while looking at a previous robbery of the jewelry store she visited last night. "I just don't understand what exactly I'm looking for this time. Oliver's already had me scour through them for clues till I broke down and you know it."

"Well, here's the one I wanted you to look at," Felicity said and soon Belén got the ping of an e-mail alert. She opened it up to find a video, security footage, of the Stagg building.

"Felicity, what am I looking at exactly?" Belén asked in confusion as she watched the video. It had a viewpoint from a nearby building by Stagg's, and as the seconds went by Belén saw the woman in purple standing at the rooftop of a building that would be just across Stagg's.

"These are a couple of videos I montaged," Felicity began to explain. "See, this one was when there was the incident with Simon Stagg and the tons of clones."

"Okay…"

"Now this is the night where Barry fought said metahuman, and do you see what's happening in the meantime of this fight?"

"Nothing," Belén shrugged. "She's just...watching."

"Exactly - she's  _watching_. And do you know what else I've picked up on?"

"No, but please tell."

"There's other security video feed of her just 'happening' to be around when there's a metahuman or robbery going on. It's not always but there's a good 80% she will be there."

"She's got no life, then," Belén joked to herself.

It was short lived as a strong wind blew everything save the computer off the table.

"Belén? Is something wrong?" Felicity's voice barely made a noise in the already silent apartment. "Belén…?"

Barry had entered in a completely abrupt and rude way into the apartment, but he currently did not care. Belén ended her call with one click of a finger and put the phone down.

"Barry…?" She rose from her chair, unsure of how to even talk to him anymore.

Barry was in the same predicament, unsure how to address the woman across him. There was a turmoil of emotions washing over him and he didn't know which one was the one he felt the most.

"How did you...how did you know to find me here?" Belén discreetly closed the laptop beside her.

"I saw Nina earlier today," Barry said quietly. He was staring hard at her, studying her appearance for anything that would tell him (or give him a clue) as to where it was she had gone off to.

Belén nervously bit her lip, her feet locked on the spot she was in. "No one knows I'm here, though. My Dad...he doesn't know yet. Can you please not tell him anything?"

Barry surprised her by lightly laughing. "I'm sorry, after everything you're asking me a favor?"

There was the seeping anger Belén had been expecting.

"I know I don't deserve anything but it's important," she whispered.

"You don't get to ask favors from me anymore."

"I know-"

"No you don't!" Barry snapped. "You  _left_ , Belén! You left without saying a word to  _any_  of us! One call," he pointed at her, "One measly call to let us know you were fine would've been enough. It didn't even have to be to  _me_!"

"I told my father to tell you all," Belén meekly reminded.

"Getting a  _message_  isn't the same thing!" Barry's voice kept rising and rising, and he knew it was completely out of his character to do so but looking at her and seeing she was fine made it all the more angering when he remembered how guilty he'd been (and still was) for causing her to leave. "I thought we were friends-"

"So did I," Belén finally made a comeback. "I thought we were friends but then I came to the shocking surprise he'd been laughing at me behind my back by pretending to be some super hero helping me."

"And you thought the best way to get back at me was to flee the city?"

"My choice in leaving was  _not_  about  _you_!"

"Yeah, right. Admit it Belén, you wanted to hurt me like I hurt you."

Now it was Belén growing angry, and unlike Barry she had less control of her feelings. She could feel that other  _side_ trying to creep its way to the surface. "Stop it! I left for other reasons that didn't include some silly revenge!"

"Are you sure about that?" Barry challenged her, taking a couple steps towards her. Her teary eyes were not going to get him to back down, not this time. "What I did was wrong, I admit that and I take my

responsibility for it. But what you did, hurt not only me, it hurt everyone else. You left us, and you made me feel like it was because of ME me. Do you know what feels like?"

"It wasn't like that," Belén persisted, but her voice was faltering.

Barry shook his head. "And then you come back as a metahuman - because don't you dare lie to me and say you aren't - and let Iris see you."

Belén's eyes shot up to him, surprised he'd figured it out and that he knew of the incident with Iris. "You looked at the results…"

"No, I promised you I wouldn't so I didn't. Iris told me about it, and it doesn't take a genius to figure it out if you were at the scene of your kidnapper's vacation home. You have powers and you've been using them!"

"And I suppose you're gonna fault me again because I didn't tell you?" Belén arched an eyebrow. "Because remember, when I met you I was under the belief you were just Iris' best friend who worked as a forensics."

"But now that you know, and that you're in this world, you need to know that Iris  _cannot_  know anything about us."

"What-"

"Joe doesn't want her to know and we have to respect that. But if she keeps writing about this, about you and me and anyone else, she's going to get hurt!"

"But I didn't plan on seeing her, honest! Like I said, no one knows I'm back!"

"I'm just giving you one warning, Belén. This was it."

Belén confusingly watched him head for the door. "So that's just it? You're not going to talk to me anymore?"

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Barry glanced back, reminding her of her requests. "You said if I talked to you again I would be punched."

"I was angry with you, Barry! I could've said a lot of things I clearly didn't mean!"

"Now  _I'm_  mad at you, and I think I know I mean it when I say don't talk to me."

Belén stifled a sob as she made to come after him. "B-Barry!"

But he was already gone.

Through her feelings, she felt that same feeling start at her hands. Gasping she looked at her hands and was horrified to see that emerald green beginning to fully cover her skin this time.

"No! No! No! No!" she dashed to the bathroom and slammed the door shut with lock. She put herself in front of the mirror to see parts of her face also sporting some blotches of green. "Go away! Go away!" she shouted at it and screwed her eyes shut, hands firmly gripping the edges of the sink.

"Go away, go away, go away, go away, go away," she repeated like a chant.

~ 0 ~

"And you said that to her?  _All_  of that?" Caitlin was gaping towards Barry after hearing the incident between him and the newly arrived Belén.

"Not cool, dude, not cool," Cisco said distractedly while recording Bette's numbers onto the computer.

They had finally met with Bette, under some bad circumstances, and took her back to STAR Labs to get a clearer understanding of her abilities. But due to General Eiling still after her, they were forced to take her into the training area a bit quicker than planned so that Dr. Wells could deal with the man.

"Barry, I don't think that was the best way to greet her," Caitlin gently said, understanding where Barry's anger was coming from.

"I couldn't help it!" Barry exclaimed and paced back and forth beside the table of computers and other objects for Bette's exams. "I was so mad that she came back like nothing!"

"Well, did you expect her to be begging for forgiveness?" Cisco asked, still appearing to be annoyed with him.

"No, Cisco, but I did expect some sort of explanation."

"So did you let her talk? Because you have a tendency not to when you're mad at someone."

"You know, it sounds like you're taking her side, Cisco," Barry suspiciously said, crossing his arms.

"I'm not," Cisco clarified before anything else was said. "It's just...I don't think what needed to be said was said. I wanna talk to Bells and find out why she left."

"Good luck," Barry scoffed and walked off to go see how Bette was doing.

"That went well," Caitlin remarked and eyed a boomerang Cisco had apparently brought for the tests. Bette was supposed to throw the objects to the sky for them to explode but clearly Cisco forgot about that small detail.

"I can't believe he shouted a her," Cisco muttered.

"Look, on some level, it  _is_  understandable. We can't blame Barry after these two months. He felt guilty, and he still does. What Belén did was wrong. What did she expect was going to happy?"

~ 0 ~

"What did you expect was going to happen, hm?" Nina stood in front of the couch where Belén was sitting.

The ombre-blonde was sitting cross-legged, currently sniffing as tears fell from her eyes.

"You left abruptly and you didn't even bother giving your friends a call. It's a natural response to be angry."

"I know I deserved it, but it doesn't mean it didn't hurt," Belén meekly argued.

Of course she had expected for Barry and the others to be angry with her decision and the way she executed it. She wasn't expecting some sort of big welcome back nor immediate friendship. Those were the first warnings Felicity, and then others of Starling City told her, but she was firm on her decision.

She still was.

"It doesn't help to cry, Belén," Nina sighed and walked into the kitchen.

"There's nothing more I can do," Belén finally looked up. "I messed up and these are the consequences that I have to endure."

"By crying?" Nina rolled her eyes and plopped down at the table, re-opening the laptop Belén had forgone a while ago.

"Well, I'm sorry but not everyone can be rigid like the great Nina Clarke is," Belén rolled her eyes but the statement seemed to only amuse Nina.

"I'm only saying instead of sitting on my couch and sobbing for your woes, go out there and do something about it."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but I would start by returning your life to normal. Right now, you're stressed and your mind is clouded with Rayan's case."

"That's because he's my only priority right now. I'm not gonna get distracted."

Nina shook her head and raised her eyes from the computer screen for a moment. "Being what we are - metahumans - is already weird and distancing. Don't add unnecessary negatives to it."

Belén leaned back on the cushion, still pouting. Nina went back to the computer and for a while there was no more conversation. It wasn't until Nina gasped in what sounded like horror that Belén forewent her sad thoughts.

"Nins, what is it?"

"Your friend Iris really wants to die," Nina was blinking wide-eyed at the screen. Belén got up and rushed to go see what was Iris had done now.

"Oh my God," Belén said with a mixture of horror and weariness.

Iris had posted a new article for her blog...with her  _name_  written on it this time.

"She just doesn't get the memo," Nina scrolled through the newest post.

"Barry told me Iris posted a new thing about me, but I didn't really think about what would happen."

"This can't keep going. One of these days someone will make the connection she knows 'the Streak' and now  _you_."

"It's my fault," Belén walked away from the table, running her hands through her now messy hair. "And you know, no matter what happens I don't want Iris getting hurt when she's the least one who deserves it."

"So what are you planning on doing?" Nina asked, genuinely curious.

"Exactly what Barry did to me when I most needed it," Belén turned around with a wide smile.

"Oh, no…"

~ 0 ~

Later that night, Iris was busy cleaning up inside Jitters so that she could properly close down and leave. There was a light knock on the door followed by a bell chime.

"Sorry, we're closed," Iris called without looking up from the dishes she was collecting.

"I was hoping you would make an exception."

Iris nearly let the cups in her hands fall after seeing several tendrils of vines passing through the doors. The tendrils swirled up from the floor into the shape of a figure until it became the familiar woman in green Iris had seen. "Oh, my God, it's you!"

Belén stood there in her 'vigilante' outfit, with the flower mask around her eyes. Her hair was covered in the strings of roots that hid her blonde tips.

"You remember from one night?" Belén mused, her modulated voice coming as not a surprise for Iris.

"Actually," Iris beamed and put down her glasses to go retrieve her bag behind the counter. "I knew you were familiar from somewhere and I couldn't just let it go!"

'Course you couldn't," Belén hid her smile by looking to the side.

Iris had pulled out her computer and set it on the counter. "There have been reportings of a mysterious new addition to the Arrow's team…" she turned the computer over to Belén's direction, "...it's you. Isn't it?"

Belén took no steps towards her. Instead, she extended a hand and with a vine sprouting from her palm she brought the computer over to her. She looked intently onto the screen where several news pictures had caught her in low resolution pictures.

"It's so you," Iris concluded on her own after taking a moment to really study the woman.

"Yes," Belén saw no point in denying what was so clear on picture. Slowly, she returned the laptop to the counter. "You looked me up?"

"Of course," Iris said as it were obvious. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you don't know me, no one knows me."

"I know. Right now, it's all about the Streak. But…" Iris came around the counter with a wide smile, "...girls need the recognition too, right? I saw you save that man last night, and I've been going through some of Star City's news online. You're a hero, just like the Streak. What have you been doing over at Star City though? Or, why did you decide to come here now?"

Belén sucked in a breath. "Can we speak somewhere else? Like, the rooftop?"

Iris nodded her head, forgetting her duties and motioning to the staircase leading up to the roof. Belén just smiled and motioned her go first. Iris did so and was halfway up when she realized the woman had never followed. She ran up the remainder of stairs and came to the surprise of finding Belén already waiting for her.

"How did you…?" Iris laughed, looking around for a clue as to how she was beaten. "How did you do that? You're fast too?"

Belén sat on the ledge of the building, leaning forwards over her knees. "It's much more fun using my vines to climb buildings. I'm no Streak but I do set my own speed records when I turn vine-ish…"

Iris figured and laughed again.

Belén remained serious and stood up. "I need you to stop writing about me, about any of us with powers. The Streak agrees."

"You know each other?" Iris brightened up, and Belén inwardly smacked herself on the face. Apparently, that was all that Iris had heard from her statement. "Are you like...like some superhero duo now? Or-"

"Iris," Belén raised a hand to cut in, "please just listen. It's not safe for you to keep writing about us."

"But there are a lot of people who need someone like you guys right now. To know that you're out there."

"Maybe not," Belén countered. "This writing stuff, isn't it becoming a problem for you and your family? I would assume they would be concerned for your safety. And I have to be honest, putting your name on this newest article wasn't your smartest idea."

"You read my article?" Iris gasped.

Again, she only heard the last of Belén's words.

"You are a fantastic writer and I have no doubt that you will go on to do amazing things in journalism...but just  _not_  with these articles."

"Why are you so keen on me letting it go? Don't you want people to know about you? To know about the Streak?"

"Personally, I haven't the faintest idea why you decided to post something about  _me_ ," Belén put a hand over her chest.

"Because you're just as amazing," Iris shrugged, coming to take a step towards her. "You climb buildings with  _vines_! Not to mention, you actually turn  _into_  vines! You are amazing!"

Belén bitterly laughed, and though it was dark Iris could clearly see the woman's green eyes glossy.

"What's the matter?" she gently asked. "You don't believe it?"

Belén looked at her friend with a sad smile. "You don't know me, Iris West. I am not grand, I am not deserving of any articles written for me. You want a hero, you go to the Streak. Me? I'm not a good person."

"Yes, you are," Iris was quick to interject, the soft smile across her lips nearly making Belén believe it. "Why wouldn't you believe it?"

"A good person doesn't hurt their friends nor family - that is exactly what I've done," Belén bit her lip, hating herself for talking about this...but her lips wouldn't stop opening. "I did a bad thing a while back. I was mad at a friend and I made a decision that same day that I knew would hurt him back." Belén then lowly laughed when she made the realization. "I guess, in a way, I wanted him to hurt like he made me hurt. But my decision didn't just hurt him, it hurt a lot more people...and I don't know how to fix it."

Iris wished nothing more than to go over and hug this mysterious woman who in reality seemed a lot more vulnerable than what the media portrayed. It was just a reminder that heroes were still human. "That doesn't make you a bad person," Iris gently declared. "Everyone makes mistakes, but what matters is how you intend on fixing them. This doesn't stop you from being a hero in my eyes."

"I'm not a hero, Iris," Belén reiterated.

Iris smirked, tilting her head in that way that told Belén it was already set in stone. "Too late. I just need a name to call you. Do you have one?"

"No," Belén chuckled and sniffed. "Because, as I said, I'm not a hero. I'm not doing this for glory or recognition."

"So why do you?"

"For someone very important in my life," Belén thought to her elder twin brother.

"Yeah?" Iris stepped forwards again. "Well then hear my side. I have this friend, and he had something terrible happen to him when he was a kid. His whole life, he's been telling stories about this impossible thing. And people laughed at him. And shrinks analyzed him. And he's been searching for an explanation ever since. But now, suddenly, it's like he's lost his faith. But you and the Streak... you two are proof that he wasn't crazy. Help me save my friend."

Belén could've burst into more sobs if she didn't have more control of herself. "He is a very lucky guy, you know."

"Believe me, he's not," Iris confided in a dramatic whisper. "He's overly clumsy and everything happens to him whenever it comes to dropping something, crashing into someone, or even just making friends. But this thing that happened to him as a kid, I can help him with that. This is why I'm doing my blog, please help me."

Belén raised a turned palm and slowly created a small, pink flower. But it was a specific flower, one that Iris saw a couple times.

"Is that an Azalea?" she pointed.

"Mhm. It's the source of my powers, apparently," Belén had a vine take the flower to Iris. "The thing about these flowers, they're adorable and they're beautiful...but they are also known for their deadly side."

Iris took the fragile flower into her hands and looked at Belén, confused.

"What I'm intending on doing others may call a suicide mission. I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire because of an article you wrote. Keep the flower, change your blog. Goodbye."

"But-" Iris called to the woman in vain as she dropped from the ledge again. She looked at her new flower and walked back into the building.

~ 0 ~

"Maritza's been slacking," Angie put a laptop in front of Rayan Palayta. "There's a new metahuman in town as reported by Iris West. Doesn't your sister know that girl?"

Rayan snatched the laptop to his lap and read the article Iris had written. "This one's different. She's helping the Streak. See, this is what I knew would happen if we let that speedster keep doing his thing."

Angie got up from the couch, looking suddenly determined. "Let me take care of her. I've been dying to finally debut out in the streets."

Rayan gave her a questionable scoff. "You? Are you serious?"

Angie nodded. "Well, she's not going to want to help you take down Wells and STAR Labs, might as well get her out of the way."

"Fine, but you'll eliminate her without a mistake," Rayan warned.

"Watch me," Angie smirked, more than ready to go out.

~ 0 ~

Belén wasn't sure who'd she find in STAR Labs that early noon she walked in. She didn't exactly know what she was going to tell anyone, much less how to even greet them. But she figured she had to start somewhere.

"Hello?" she peered inside the cortex room, only to find a ginger woman inside.

Bette glanced back and immediately took a defensive stance against her. Belén came out from the side with her hands raised.

"I'm a good one, promise," she said, but Bette still didn't look very convinced.

"Belén," Dr. Wells' voice startled the ombre-blonde from behind and made her spin around to meet the man.

"Dr. Wells," Belén put a hand over her chest, "Sorry, you just…"

"It's nice to see you back," he remarked as he wheeled further inside the room, giving Bette a reassuring nod everything was fine.

"Um, yeah," Belén sighed and turned in their direction. "I think you're probably the only one who can say that about me."

"Nonsense, I'm sure Cisco would be delighted to see you're back. He's in the experiment room if you're looking for him."

"Yeah, actually, I was," Belén glanced towards Bette. "Um, hi. I don't think we've met yet."

"Bette," the ginger said, but she didn't seem quite interested in making conversation. It worked just fine for Belén as she was more interested in seeing her friends.

"Belén," Wells called just as she crossed the doorway, "I know you must be having trouble adjusting to your abilities but please to take in consideration that STAR Labs is always here to help you."

Belén softly smiled at the kind words. "Thank you, Dr. Wells. I may just take your words to heart."

"We'll see what we can do," Wells reassured her and she went on just slightly happier than before. How could she know that he actually could care less whether her abilities developed or not? The only reason he extended the offer was for appearances and because of who she would end up being in the future.

Not to mention the losses she would end up suffering.

~ 0 ~

Cisco was focused hard on some sort of device in his work room when he heard a knock on the door behind.

"Can I come in?" Belén's voice startled him enough to drop what he was holding. She nervously smiled his way as he turned on his chair.

"Belén!"

Belén was relieved when Cisco rushed to meet her with a tight hug. There had to be someone who would be happy to see her right?

"Cisco, it's so good to see you," she pulled away and chuckled. "I missed you."

"Maybe next time you shouldn't leave!" Cisco playfully replied with and led her to a chair next to his.

"You're mad too," Belén sighed and sat down.

"I'm not mad, I'm just...so confused. Why'd you do it? Barry thinks it's because he didn't tell you about...you know…"

"Look, my decision may have taken that as part of the motive but it was also to learn to control myself, to learn how to fight." Belén lightly smiled and put a hand on the table. She let the tips of her nails release thin, small vines that soon rushed to cover up a book nearby. "Two months ago, I could barely do this."

"Barry was right, you  _were_  a metahuman," Cisco gawked. "Why did you keep it a secret? We could've helped you."

"Like I told Barry earlier, for me you guys were all just regular people. How could I go up to any of you say 'Oh, by the way guys, I seemed to have developed plant powers'. That's not exactly something easy to say. The only reason Nina knows is because she covered for me at the hospital."

"And she's the he only one that knows…?"

"Yes," Belén eyed him with plead, "And I beg you not to tell anyone out of this building. My dad still thinks I'm at Starling City with my friend Laurel and my mom - as of yesterday night - thinks I'm back with my dad."

"Neither knows where your are then?"

"Not even my sister. And they can't know.'

"But why?"

"Because I have to do something that isn't safe and I don't want any of them getting hurt."

"But...if you're doing this then you're gonna get hurt...and none of us want that."

Belén sighed, giving him a sad look in return. "I don't think 'everyone' can be spoken for."

Cisco immediately understood and reached for her hand, giving a warm pat. "Hey, look, Barry's going to cool down. But no matter what he's said he wouldn't want you getting hurt."

"I want to believe that," Belén whispered, her eyes drifting to the side as she uncharacteristically became quiet.

It was then that Caitlin happened to walk in, and Belén found herself in another round of questions and explanations. She didn't care, though, she was just relieved that Caitlin hadn't expressed any hostility against her (though she knew she very well deserved it). They spoke briefly about her powers, seeing

Belén wasn't very willing to release specific information about that side just yet. Their conversation steered more towards what she was doing in Starling City for the two past months, but even those were given short sentence answers.

They moved back to the main room, where Cisco came to the disappointing news that Bette had decided to leave.

"That's funny," Belén remarked by the side of Cisco's chair, the latter silently pouting for his loss, "She didn't mention anything about leaving when I bumped into her earlier."

"She wasn't doing well," Dr. Wells briefly explained. "Bette's metahuman abilities weren't exactly the best."

"How do you mean?"

"To make it short, Bette is literally a bomb," Caitlin made a face. "Anything she touches goes boom in about five seconds."

"Wow," Belén raised her eyebrows, "That can't be easy. Even with humans?" she asked for a clarification.

"Aha…"

"Ouch," Belén comfortingly placed a hand over Cisco's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Cisco. I'm sure-"

"Don't use the 'there's other fish in the sea' line on me," he playfully warned her, making her chuckle.

Her laughter was cut short when Barry walked into the room. She locked eyes with him and so she straightened up, meekly bidding goodbye. "I should get going…"

"Stay," Caitlin was the one to say, briefly glancing at Barry in a warning manner. She was not going to stand for a childish act from neither side.

"Where's Bette?" Barry decided to focus on anything else that wasn't Belén.

"She left," Cisco answered glumly.

"What do you mean? Where did she go?"

"She didn't say," Dr. Wells gave him the same answer he'd given to the others earlier.

"Well, where the hell could she be? We have to find her, she can't be on her own." Barry walked over to the desk, intending on starting a search for her. Cisco jumped on the opportunity to see the woman again and quickly went to do it himself.

"I got back on the military feed. Looks like they've gone to the waterfront to rendezvous with Bette."

"She's turning herself in," Caitlin realized and quickly looked at the others, all silently agreeing that was most certainly not going to happen.

"She's with the  _military_?" Belén gaped, her eyes widening. "Barry, you can't go in alone. That's too dangerous."

Barry ignored her in favor of retrieving his suit. It had been left out in plain sight now that Belén knew the secret. Iris never came to the building as they had noticed long ago.

"Barry!" she cut him once he returned in the suit. "For God's sake, you're angry with me fine, but that doesn't mean I don't want to help you."

They had a mini-staredown that neither seemed keen on backing down from. Barry was silently wondering where Belén acquired this new sense of boldness she most certainly didn't own two months ago. He left the thought when he remembered Bette was going to get herself into trouble. Without saying a word, he sped out of the room.

Belén bitterly laughed as she spun towards the doors. "He's not getting rid of me that easily."

"What are you planning…?" Cisco recognized that idea expression that was currently taking over her face.

"I learned a new trick while I was gone," Belén gave him a sideways smirk. "Can you give me the location please?"

~ 0 ~

Under certain influence, Bette had planned a fake surrender with General Eiling by the waterfront of the city. But of course, the older man didn't believe it. That was why he was trying to be smart by pitching her an idea he thought she couldn't pass up.

"All over the world, people are plotting to destroy our country. To end our lives. Brave American soldiers are gonna die in that fight, but they don't have to. Because of you, we could have victory."

"All I've ever wanted was to make the world a safer place. And it will be when you're not in it." Bette chucked towards him and the rest of the soldiers small, purple glowing spheres that soon exploded and cause mayhem.

While most soldiers were unconscious, Eiling remained half awake. Bette walked towards him with one hand extended. She would blow him into smithereens. Barry arrived and blocked her way.

"What are you doing here?" Bette gasped at the sight of him.

"Being a soldier doesn't mean you're a murderer. Don't become one now."

In the midst of their distraction, Eiling had raised a gun from his spot on the ground and fired. Bette did a spin and fell to the ground with a bullet lodged in the middle of her chest.

Barry panicked and pulled off his mask as he got down beside her. "I'm sorry. I didn't see him."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. I'm glad you stopped me," Bette flashed a light smile.

"I'm gonna get you back to S.T.A.R. Labs."

Bette shook her head, feeling her strength fading fast. "Barry, Dr. Wells. He... he…" but her eyes closed before she could finish the sentence.

"Barry, watch out!"

Barry glanced over his shoulder in time to see her shoot a couple of thick vines that pinned Eiling to his spot.

"What are you doing here?" Barry hissed, though he still eyed the leather outfit on her. He remembered it vaguely from an old news report Iris once showed him in the past. "You were at Starling City," he whispered his realization. However, the brightening purple glow beside Barry grabbed both their attention.

"She's going to blow up," Belén rushed forwards.

"Guys, we have a problem," Barry spoke with the earpiece.

"Is Bette okay?" came Cisco's anxious voice seconds later.

"No. Eiling killed her. She's glowing. She's gonna detonate."

Caitlin gasped. "Oh, my God, a mass that size, the explosion, it would be... Devastating. Barry, you have to get her away from the city.

"But there's no time…"

Belén glanced towards the waterfront and suddenly shifted to Barry. "Random question...but can you run on water? You know, like they do in the movies?"

At first, Barry was intending on scolding her for asking such a ridiculous question at a time like this...but then he understood. "How fast do I need to go to run on water?" he quickly asked of the STAR Labs employees.

Cisco began making the calculations. "Assuming your weight... 450 pounds of force per step for vertical suspension. Accounting for fluid drag…"

"Approximately 650 miles an hour…" Dr. Wells figured out just before and spoke up.

"You have to outrun the blast or you'll die too," Caitlin warned.

Barry nodded and pulled his mask over his face again. He looked at Belén for a minute, this time not needing to voice his instruction. She got up and took several steps back.

"Stay mad with me if you must, but...good luck," she told him meekly from her spot.

For a minute, Barry's anger faltered. He shook his head then and picked up Bette, finding there was no time to waste. He sped off towards the waterfront, unable to hear Belén's small laugh as she watched him leave.

Her happiness didn't last long when she was shoved to the ground by something behind her. The moment she raised her head she saw blonde streaks of hair.

"Well, this city just doesn't stop with its freaky heroes," the new woman spoke up.

"We're called  _metahumans_ ," Belén growled and jumped to her feet. "And let me guess, you work with Plasticine too?"

"I don't work for her," the blonde corrected. Belén desperately tried to get some good clues on this woman's identity, but much like Belén and Barry, her face was covered with a pixelated, half-mask. Her attire was a mixture of bright colors but the gold seemed to be her thing. Still, Belén didn't think too much. She thrust her hand forwards and shot a round of thorns in the woman's way. She was careful to have them miss any of the unconscious soldiers nearby.

While some of them did graze the blonde woman, it didn't cause much pain. "Ha! You're not fighting Plasticine now, sweetheart. I'm Pixel!" She literally disintegrated and reappeared behind Belén to give her a good roundhouse kick.

Belén went down to the ground, groaning. They were momentarily struck with a semi-earthquake which turned out to be the reverberation of Bette's explosion from the water. Pixel saw the Streak making way back to them, while simultaneously trying to evade the large wave behind him.

"Better get on with it!" she smirked but Belén shot back with a vine, slamming her down to the ground.

Belén didn't give her a chance to fight back and punched the woman out cold with another vine, least that's what she thought. Pixel, holding back her groans, reached for something in her back.

"Don't get near her!" Barry's sharp, irritated shout made Belén flinch and freeze on her spot. "She's dangerous."

"This isn't Plasticine!" Belén turned to him. "This is someone new! Don't you see? They're gaining numbers! And I have to know what it's got to do with my brother! I'll-"

A second gunshot rang in the air.

Belén gasped before falling over.

Barry acted fast and sped towards her, catching her mere inches from the ground. Her mask has dissolved into nothing, giving a clear view of her face.

"Oh my God…" Pixel muttered from her spot on the ground, her hand still holding the gun.

Normally, Barry would've fought off the man until he had answers but Belén's current condition required immediate attention. Without saying a word, he sped out of the place.

~ 0 ~

The first thing Belén was aware of when she became mildly conscious was the sharp pain on her lower back. She registered the fact she was on a bed of some sort. So, when she opened her eyes and saw she was in the STAR Labs room, it came as no surprise.

"O-ow…" she groaned and turned her head to the side, hoping that whatever hurt just stopped.

"You can't heal fast, can you?"

"Hmm?"

Barry was leaning against the threshold, his arms crossed. Belén could only look at him for so long before remembering all of that day.

"My genes didn't change like yours did," she replied quietly, her eyes drifting to a metal, wheeled table against a wall on her left. "Though my body does seem act more like a mushy ground for light injuries, more severe ones will affect me like normal."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Um...there was Pixel, and then...I punched her...then you came, and...there was a funny noise in the air…"

"You were shot," Barry reminded, slowly leaning off the hinge.

"Hmm," Belén mused with a crooked smile. "I suppose this was all planned by Plasticine. It only makes sense."

"Why would they want you dead?" Barry asked the pressing question.

"It's kind of obvious, Barry. They're bad guys, it's what they do."

"Don't insult my intelligence," Barry shook his head. "Funny thing, I was going over Iris' blog and it just so happens she posted something new about a certain metahuman...that arrived from Starling City."

"Can we not do-"

"You left Central City with Felicity, didn't you?"

And there was the ringing question Belén had dreaded of the moment she returned.

"Yes, yes I did," she whispered.

"All this time I have felt completely awful about our argument that day. I understand it was difficult for you to forgive me for keeping all this-" he gestured to the lab "-a secret from you. I get it. But you did  _not_  have the right to turn the tables on me." By this time, he had begun to pace and Belén's eyes struggled to follow him throughout the room. "Because I don't care what you say, you  _were_  trying to get payback. But to put yourself in danger by actually going with the Arrow - and don't deny that's where you went because the news reports say otherwise - was completely ridiculous! I know the Arrow, I know what he does, and what he does is  _not_  what you should be learning!"

"You're right," Belén finally inputted a word, "about almost everything."

"Well…" Barry made a face at her, intending on staying mad but the way her glossy green eyes were looking at him made it more difficult. He exhaled dramatically and walked over to a chair, bringing it beside her.

"I did leave to get payback, and for that I'm sorry," Belén sighed. "But that wasn't my main reason. I realized that I didn't have control over myself, emotionally and physically."

"You're a metahuman, we could've helped you."

"No, you couldn't have. You would go incredibly easy on me and who would win there? Caitlin would go all 'mom' on me whenever I got a scratch. Cisco...well, Cisco would be the worst of them all. I love him but he's an overprotective friend. The only one that would perhaps help me for real would be Dr. Wells. Going with Felicity seemed like the only logical thing to do. It wasn't easy to convince Oliver - er, the Arrow - to help me, but Felicity stepped in and then my friend Laurel. When he agreed he saw me as nothing more than a student. There was no easy win, no light training. That is what I needed."

"And in the meantime not even a call ever crossed your mind? We were worried sick over you, Belén. Having your father tell us you were fine wasn't what we were looking for."

"I'm sorry…"

"You should be," Barry said firmly, but this time Belén noticed there was a lighter tone in his voice.

"I''m sorry I made you feel bad for two months. You have every right to be mad with me," Belén sighed in resignation.

"I was mad...and then someone shot you. I lost someone I barely started considering a friend, I don't really want to lose someone I've known longer."

"I wouldn't like to lose a friend like you either…"

There was a minute of silence afterwards.

"How about we move forwards, then?" Barry asked, giving her a light smile. "Maybe we can get back to where we were before all this happened."

Belén chuckled, and for a moment Barry couldn't tell if it was a genuine laugh or if it was an after effect of the anesthesia Nina put on her earlier. "Barry, I think that's quite impossible. You now run faster than the speed of light, and I'm part plant. I don't think we can ever get back to where we were."

"Sorry, Belén…"

"You know…you can start calling me Bells again if you'd like. My friends usually do that…"

Barry laughed and nodded his head. "Bells. That does feel nice to say again."

Belén smiled for a moment before feeling another jab of pain on her back. "Oh, that hurts."

"Oh, don't try to move much!" Barry quickly instructed. "The others should be back and Cait will help you with your things."

"Guess it's a good thing no one knows I'm back," Belén forced herself to sit up a little.

"Cisco told me about your little idea and your suicide mission. I don't agree with your strategies."

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't ask."

"Belén, you're doing this for Rayan, aren't you?"

The way Belén remained silent told Barry all he wanted to know.

"I thought you gave up on that…"

"Because I couldn't defend myself nor my family," Belén shook her head. "But now that I can, I am going to keep looking for my brother. Plasticine sending Pixel after me is proof enough that there's something going on concerning my brother. I have to find him, whether he's alive or...dead," she gulped at the idea, "But I have to find him so that I can finally put this all to rest."

"You want to find him?"

"Yes, I do."

"And you're not gonna stop at anything?"

"Nope."

"Fine, then STAR Labs is also going to help you."

"What?"

Barry stood up from his chair, looking like there was nothing else to discuss. "Now that you know who I am, and that you do have powers, we can work together - side by side - and find your brother."

"B-Barry, I can't...I can't ask you to do that," Belén said, the idea making he stomach churn.

"It's a good thing I wasn't asking, then," Barry flashed her a smirk.

"But...but you...you can't...n-not…" Belén was left sputtering as Barry turned to leave. "I don't want you helping me!"

"It's too late for that!"

Belén tried getting out of the bed but her back still hurt far too much for any movements like that. She was forced back to her bed. "Barry Allen, you get back here right now!"

Barry listened to her her shouting as he made his way out of the room, wearing a very widened smirk across his lips.

Just one small payback wouldn't hurt anyone.


End file.
